This handout photograph taken and released on June 28, 2022 in Madrid by Turkish Presidential press office, shows (Back, From L) NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Finland's President Sauli Niinisto and Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and (Front, From L) Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde signing a memorandum during a NATO summit in Madrid. (Photo: AFP)

NATO leaders agreed Wednesday to formally invite Finland and Sweden to join the alliance after Turkey struck a deal with the Nordic duo to drop its objections, a statement said.

"Today, we have decided to invite Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO, and agreed to sign the Accession Protocols," a declaration from a summit in Madrid said.