Turkey Agrees To Support NATO Membership For Finland And Sweden, Says Finnish President

Finnish President Sauli Niinisto says that Turkey has agreed to support Finland's and Sweden's bids to join NATO.

Niinisto said the breakthrough came after the three countries signed a joint memorandum on June 28 "to extend their full support against threats to each other’s security."

Niinisto, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met in Madrid on the first day of a NATO summit.

Finland and Sweden last month applied to join the military alliance, but their bids were held back by Turkey, which has accused both nations, particularly Sweden, of offering a safe haven to Kurdish militants who have been waging an insurgency against the Turkish state.

Based on reporting by Reuters and dpa