STOCKHOLM

Sweden takes the three-way memorandum signed with Türkiye and Finland on the Nordic countries’ NATO membership bids very seriously, the country’s prime minister said Tuesday.

Ulf Kristersson said that the most important item in Sweden’s new security policy is NATO membership.

“We take the terms of the Tripartite Memorandum signed on June 28 between Sweden, Turkey and Finland for NATO membership very seriously and continue the negotiations with the same seriousness,” he said at a news conference.

“We also talk frequently with Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin on this issue,” he added.

Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO in May, abandoning decades of military non-alignment, a decision spurred by Russia's war against Ukraine.

But Türkiye -- a NATO member for more than 70 years -- voiced objections to their membership bids, accusing the two countries of tolerating and even supporting terrorist groups.

Türkiye and the two Nordic countries signed the memorandum at a NATO summit to address Ankara's legitimate security concerns, paving the way for their eventual membership in the alliance.