Finland and Sweden have coordinated their steps in case Finland is procedurally ready to join NATO earlier than its ally.
Iltalehti tabloid writes about this with reference to its sources.
Stockholm and Helsinki reportedly said they would continue to keep each other informed of what was happening with their ratification processes and move toward NATO membership "in mutual understanding."
At the same time, the Finnish side informed the Swedish side that there may be circumstances in which Finland will be able to complete the accession procedure a little faster than Sweden. The Swedish side allegedly replied that in this case it would not politically hinder Finland from obtaining membership, but, on the contrary, would support it.
According to unofficial information, Finland could be ready to complete its accession even in March - if Turkey and Hungary ratify its application in the coming weeks. Sources of the publication believe that under such a scenario, Helsinki will decide not to delay and complete the accession separately from Sweden.
From a legal point of view, the accession process of the two countries is not related to each other, but Finland and Sweden initially moved towards membership "in pairs" and hoped to join NATO at the same time, but the problems between Ankara and Stockholm became a big obstacle. At the same time, Turkey hints that it no longer has any claims against Finland and is ready to ratify its application separately.
In public statements, key Finnish officials continue to assert that they would like to join the Alliance "as soon as possible and at the same time as Sweden."