Finland and Sweden resume Nato membership negotiations with Turkey on Friday, as representatives from the three countries meet in Finland.
Hannu Juusola, Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Helsinki, told Yle that he does not expect much from the talks.
It is the first meeting between the three countries since they signed a trilateral agreement in Madrid in June, which saw Turkey agree to support the two Nordic nations' Nato bids.
On Friday morning, Juusola told Yle that real progress will only be made when almost all Nato countries ratify Finland and Sweden's applications and some pressure starts to build.
Meanwhile, the actions Finland and Sweden take in this situation are unlikely to be relevant, Juusola said, unless they completely abandon their own values - which is highly unlikely.
So far, 23 of the 30 Nato member countries have ratified Finland and Sweden's application. However, Finland and Sweden's membership can be blocked by Turkey if it so wishes. For a Nato application to pass, all member countries must ratify.
A number of demands have been made by Turkey to Finland and Sweden since June, including calls to extradite people Turkey suspects of terrorism.
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Alaranta: A strong Nato not Turkey's priority
Senior researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs Toni Alaranta said that it is still important for Turkey, as a Nato member, to sit at the same table as the US and the UK.
"Turkey still needs weapons from them. Something might go on behind the scenes that may never come to light, which might unravel these threads," Alaranta said.
A strong Nato and a strong West are not Turkey's top priorities, according to Alaranta, as he further noted that Turkey has not been overly enthusiastic about Nato's increased focus on damning Russia.
Despite their desire to join the alliance, the Nordic countries are minor players, Hannu Juusola noted. Finnish and Swedish membership of Nato is also influenced by the relationship between the Western alliance and Turkey.
"Finland and Sweden can do something symbolic, but the key lies elsewhere," Juusola said.
He also pointed out that the fact that Turkey sometimes changes its opinion quickly gives cause for optimism, referring to Turkey's rapidly changing relations with countries such as Saudi Arabia and Israel.
