President Biden on Wednesday thanked Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for dropping his opposition to Finland and Sweden becoming members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, paving the way for a historic expansion of the military alliance.
Turkey had objected to the two nations joining the 30-country military alliance because of what it characterized as inaction against exiled Kurdish militants.
Mr. Erdogan reversed course Tuesday allowing NATO membership, after reaching an agreement with the Nordic countries. Under the agreement, Finland and Sweden will not provide support to Kurdish militants, which Turkey views as terrorists.
Finland and Sweden also agreed to halt support for an Islamic sect that Turkey blamed for a failed coup in 2016.