President of Finland Sauli Niinistö visited Türkiye
The President of the Republic of Finland, Sauli Niinistö, made a two-day visit to Türkiye from March 16 to 17, 2023.
President Niinistö met with President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on 17th March in Ankara. The Presidents held thorough discussions on the geopolitical situation, bilateral relations between Finland and Türkiye, Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO memberships and reconstruction after the earthquake.
In connection with the meeting, President Erdogan signed his decision to send the ratification of Finland’s NATO membership to the Parliament of Türkiye.
Before their meeting, on Thursday 16 March, President Niinistö visited the area affected by the earthquake in Kahramanmaraş in southeastern Türkiye. The president said that Finland continues to provide humanitarian and expert assistance to help those affected.
Photos: Riikka Hietajärvi/ Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
At Karacasu Container City, built of containers to serve as temporary housing, the President met with Governor of Kahramanmaraş province, Faruk Çoşkun, and Governor of Ağrı province, Osman Varol, as well as local residents and aid workers. At a meeting with Finnish experts working in the earthquake region, the President thanked them for their important work.
President Niinistö affirmed that the devastation caused by the earthquake was shocking. However, the valuable and effective work of the administration and aid workers also gives hope. "People understand how important it is to work for the common good. I hope we can see it multiply on the international arena", Niinistö said.
On Friday 17 March, the President met with the President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara. Before the meeting, the President laid a wreath at the mausoleum of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first President of the Republic of Türkiye.
Photo: Riikka Hietajärvi/ Office of the President of the Republic of Finland
"We understood earlier that you had made your decision, and signing it today confirms that the Parliament of Türkiye will start to work with the ratification of the Finnish membership," President Niinistö said at a joint press conference held after the meeting.
The President Niinistö also raised the issue of Sweden’s membership of NATO and stated that Finland’s membership of NATO is not complete without Sweden. "I would like to see in Vilnius an alliance of 32 members," he added.
The delegation of the President Niinistö included the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Pekka Haavisto, who met his colleague, Foreign Minister Çavuşoğlu. They discussed NATO enlargement and Minister Çavuşoğlu thanked Finland for its earthquake support.
Photo: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Türkiye