The US House of Representatives voted on Monday to approve Finland and Sweden's bid to join Nato, but the final decision rests with the Senate, which has yet to vote on the matter.

The US Senate is the legislative body responsible for deciding on international agreements, and requires a two-thirds majority vote for a measure to pass.

The Senate is expected to vote on the Nordic countries' pending Nato applications before their summer break, which begins on 4 August, according to Finland's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Pekka Haavisto (Green).

Commenting to Yle, the minister noted that US support for Finland's accession to the military alliance was of "great symbolic importance."

Congress' vote on the resolution stood at 394-18, with all negative votes coming from Republican lawmakers. Nineteen lawmakers abstained, two of them Democrats.

House Majority Leader, Democrat Steny Hoyer, voiced support for the resolution on Monday.

"Together, Finland and Sweden will add substantial capabilities to Nato's collective defence and make the Baltic region much more secure against Russian aggression. But much more than that, they will add value because of their values to our alliance," Hoyer said, according to US politics news outlet The Hill.

Finland and Sweden's Nato aspirations are also expected to be approved in the upcoming Senate vote, as the measure has bipartisan support.

The Senate's foreign affairs committee said early last month that it supported the Nordic countries' accession to the alliance.

To date, half of the alliance's 30 member states have ratified Finland and Sweden's accession since the countries applied about two months ago.

Foreign Minister Haavisto said he thinks the process has progressed more quickly than anticipated.

"We're already halfway there, and it is only a little past mid-July," he noted.

Another country's ratification process Haavisto is keeping a particularly close eye on is Italy, which is in the midst of a government crisis. The situation could prompt delays to the Nato ratification vote.

He said that Italy's vote was initially expected in early autumn, but that possible elections could affect that schedule.

"Knock on wood"

A period of opposition by Nato member Turkey delayed the start of Finland's ratification process.

On Monday, Haavisto said he was still being cautious about the Nordic countries' path to Nato membership.

"Of course you always have to knock on wood when talking about possibilities and eventualities," Haavisto quipped when asked about Turkey's support.

However, the minister noted that Turkey, Finland and Sweden signed a trilateral memorandum at last month's Nato summit in Madrid. He said that representatives from the three countries will likely initiate meetings about their agreements next month.

The signing of the memorandum in late June saw Turkey pledge to support the Nordic countries' Nato applications, but at the time, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country could not ratify Finland and Sweden's application to join the military alliance unless the countries upheld their promises.

Erdogan is scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Tehran, Iran on Tuesday.

Haavisto noted that there has been public speculation that the two leaders may discuss issues related to the Nordic countries' pending Nato membership, but said Finland was not aware of such plans.

"We do not believe that such a forum - with Iran, Russia and Turkey - is where our Nato membership would be discussed in any way," Haavisto said, noting that he rejected speculations surrounding collusion between Turkey and Russia.

On Monday, Erdogan reiterated that Turkey would block the Nordic countries' accession to the alliance if they do not fulfil the agreed commitments in the trilateral memorandum. Erdogan has repeatedly urged Finland and Sweden to hand over individuals that Turkey considers to be terrorists.