Turkey's Erdogan to speak to Finland as NATO application row simmers

FILE PHOTO: Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan holds a news conference during the NATO summit at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 14, 2021. REUTERS/Yves Herman/Pool

ISTANBUL (Reuters) -Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he will speak to Finland on Saturday, while maintaining his opposition to Finnish and Swedish NATO membership bids over their history of hosting members of groups Ankara deems terrorists.

Finland and Sweden formally applied to join NATO on Wednesday, following Russia's Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.