Türkiye, Finland and Sweden signed a memorandum on Tuesday on the Nordic countries’ bids for NATO membership following four-way talks in Madrid.

Türkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Finland’s President Sauli Niinisto and Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson met to discuss the issue and Ankara’s related concerns.

The memorandum was signed by the foreign ministers of the three countries, Türkiye’s Mevlut Cavusoğlu, Pekka Haavisto of Finland and Ann Linde of Sweden, in the presence of all three national leaders and Stoltenberg.

Following the signing ceremony, the NATO chief said at a press conference that he is pleased to announce that the three nations reached an agreement that paves the way for the Nordic countries to join the military alliance.

“I strongly welcome the signing of this trilateral memorandum, and I strongly welcome the constructive approach all three countries have shown during the negotiations,” he said noting that “Finnish and Swedish membership in NATO is good for Finland and Sweden, it is good for NATO, and it is good for European security.”

He added that the signed memorandum addresses Türkiye’s concerns about arms exports and the fight against terrorism.

US President Joe Biden also commented on the memorandum, by saying “We congratulate Türkiye, Sweden and Finland, and this is a great start to the summit that will strengthen our reconciliation alliance and our common security, which is a vital step in inviting Sweden and Finland to NATO.”