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Finland and Sweden remain committed to joining NATO at the same time despite Turkey's objections to Sweden's bid, the two countries' prime ministers said at a joint news conference in Stockholm on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Turkey had earlier said it could approve Finland's bid to join NATO before Sweden, but Finland's president and foreign minister rejected the idea, arguing that the security of the two northern countries depends on each other.

"I don't like this atmosphere, the position in which Sweden is presented in the classroom as a kind of problem child. I don't think it is," said Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin.

"Sweden also fulfills all the points necessary to become a member of NATO," she added.

For his part, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said his country continues to abide by the trilateral NATO accession agreement signed last year between Sweden, Finland and Turkey.

"We have embarked on this journey together and are moving toward membership together," Kristersson said, referring to Sweden and Finland's efforts to join the North Atlantic alliance.

Finland and Sweden, against the backdrop of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, submitted applications to the NATO secretary general on May 18, 2022, to join the alliance. At the moment, Sweden's and Finland's applications to NATO have not been ratified by only two countries out of 30 - Hungary and Turkey. Turkey may make a decision on Finland's NATO membership that would "shock" Sweden, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier.

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