Turkey says it cannot support Sweden and Finland's plans to join NATO
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has said it will not be possible for his country to support plans for Sweden and Finland to join NATO.
Yesterday, Finland confirmed it will make a bid to join the military alliance, with Sweden expected to echo this decision in the coming days.
Mr Erdogan claimed the Nordic countries are "home to many terrorist organisations", without providing any further details.
Turkey has been a member of the North Atlantic Alliance since 1952, and has typically supported enlargement of the group.
Its opposition to Finland and Sweden's bids could pose an issue for them, as new members need unanimous agreement to join.
Mr Erdogan said: "We are following the developments regarding Sweden and Finland, but we don't hold positive views.
"As Turkey, we don't want to repeat similar mistakes. Furthermore, Scandinavian countries are guesthouses for terrorist organisations.
"They are even members of the parliament in some countries. It is not possible for us to be in favour."
Earlier, NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said the Finns would be "warmly welcomed" and promised a "smooth and swift" accession process.