3 NATO warships arrive in Finnish port to participate in drills

Three NATO warships have arrived in the southwestern Finnish port of Turku to take part in exercises with the Finnish navy, Reuters reports.

The two-day exercise, due to begin on April 28, will prepare Finnish ships for participation in the NATO response force in 2022 and will focus on mine action and work in a multinational framework, the statement said.

Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said April 13 that the country would decide in the next few weeks whether to apply to join NATO.

Finland and neighboring Sweden are close NATO partners but have shied away from joining the 30-member alliance founded in 1949 to counter the Soviet Union during the Cold War.