Image: Tiina Jutila / Yle

The office of the Finnish President Sauli Niinistö announced that the presidential couple is expecting a baby on Monday.

"We are thrilled to announce the happy news: If everything proceeds according to plan, our family will grow in February 2018. We have been hoping for a child for years now, and have encountered many difficulties during this time. For this reason, the early months were a joyful but delicate matter," the president and his wife announced.

The fact that they are expecting a child is a private issue, and it will not affect the President's work, the President's Office statement read.

Sauli Niinistö (69) and Jenni Haukio (40) were married on January 3, 2009. The child is Haukio's first and Niinistö's third.