Finnish foreign minister says missing clear date on NATO ratification by Turkey

Finland's foreign minister said on Thursday that many issues over Turkey's concerns over terrorism set out in a memorandum to allow Finland and Sweden to join NATO had been clarified though a date for ratification by Ankara remained missing. "What we are still missing is the clear date, a clear plan for the Turkish parliament to deal with this issue," Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto told a news conference with his Swedish and U.S. counterparts during a visit to Washington.

"We know that Turkey is going to elections, of course our hope is that a decision comes from Turkey sooner rather than later." Turkey is one of two NATO members that have yet to ratify the accession of the Nordic countries.