A closer relationship between Turkey and Russia will have little impact on Finland's Nato accession process, President Sauli Niinistö told MTV News in a televised interview on Friday.

Turkey's ties with Russia are stronger than those of other Nato countries, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin due to meet in Iran in July.

Despite this, Niinistö does not see Russia and Turkey's relationship as straightforward.

"Remember that it may not be just smiling faces, but also many kinds of conflict in the background," Niinistö s.

During the spring, Finland's President said "we kept our feelers out" about possible common interests between Turkey and Russia.

"And no one has noticed anything. And I can say that there are plenty of sharp eyes in the world," Niinistö noted.

Document with Turkey "essential"

Finland's Nato application has been ratified surprisingly quickly by the other member countries, Niinistö said, further noting that more positive news could be forthcoming during the summer.

However, it is possible that Turkey will be the last country to ratify the applications by both Finland and Sweden to join the military alliance.

In Madrid, Finland, Sweden, and Turkey held hours-long negotiations ahead of the Nato summit in June.

The talks resulted in a memorandum of understanding between the three countries, which Niinistö described as "essential" to Finland's Nato process.

From the very beginning, Turkey appeared to interpret the document in its own way. Turkish president Erdogan called on the two Nordic nations to keep their promises and spoke about the 73 people awaiting extradition from Sweden, among other things.

As of last week, Finland had received no new extradition requests, according to Niinistö. "The cases that have already been resolved cannot be intervened in again," he added.

Niinistö further told MTV that friction between Finland and Turkey might not be over yet.

Turkey's initial opposition to the Finland and Sweden joining Nato was clearly aimed at raising awareness about the problem of terrorism in Turkey, Niinistö said, adding that the Nordic neighbours were now "in a bind" despite Turkey's intention to convey its message to the entire Nato community.

Niinistö stressed the importance of taking terrorism seriously and condemning it wherever it occurs.

Official cooperation with Russia important

According to the president, Finland's relations with Russia should focus on day-to-day issues such as border security, transportation safety, and smooth cooperation between the two countries' authorities.

There has been less contact at senior government level. Niinistö recalled that the last phone call with Putin was "surprising", as the Russian President seemed remarkably calm about the possibility of Finland becoming a member of Nato. He added that, according to Russia, the amount of weapons or Nato troops come close to the Finnish-Russian border would determine future proceedings.

"As far as I understand it now, there is no great need for Finland or Nato to start occupying, building new garrisons or weapons centres near the eastern border," Niinistö said.