US, French, German Warships On Visit To Helsinki Until May 30 - Finnish Navy

Warships from the United States, France and Germany are on a visit to the Finnish capital city of Helsinki until May 30, following military exercises in the northern Baltic Sea, the Finnish navy said on Friday

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th May, 2022) Warships from the United States, France and Germany are on a visit to the Finnish capital city of Helsinki until May 30, following military exercises in the northern Baltic Sea, the Finnish navy said on Friday.

"Helsinki is to receive international Navy visits this week. Two United States Navy ships, USS Gravely and USS Gunston Hall, and a French Navy ship Latouche-Tréville, will visit Helsinki 27 - 30 May 2022," the navy said in a statement.

French and US ships will berth in Hernesaari harbor along with a German Navy ship FGS Sachsen, which arrived in Helsinki on Wednesday. According to the statement, FGS Sachsen will be open for public on Sunday.

Prior to the visit, the ships had taken part in military exercises in the northern Baltic Sea against the backdrop of Finland and Sweden's NATO membership applications, the navy added.

On May 18, Finland and Sweden submitted their NATO membership applications to Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Whether the two countries will be admitted to the alliance hinges on unanimous approval by all NATO member states.

On May 19, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that Ankara had informed its NATO allies that it would say no to the membership of Stockholm and Helsinki, citing their involvement in supporting the Kurdistan movement, which Turkey regards as terrorist and deems as a serious threat to its national security. Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu stressed the need for a written undertaking from Finland and Sweden that they will stop supporting terrorism.