Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has objected to Sweden and Finland joining Nato, held phone calls with the leaders of the two countries on Saturday and discussed his concerns about "terrorist groups".
Turkey says Sweden and Finland harbour people linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) insurgent group and followers of Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara accuses of orchestrating a 2016 coup attempt.
Mr Erdogan told Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson that Ankara expected concrete steps would be taken to address its concerns, the Turkish presidency said.
He also said an arms sales embargo imposed on Turkey after its incursion into Syria in 2019 should be lifted.
Ms Andersson said she appreciated the call and that Sweden hoped to strengthen bilateral relations with Turkey.
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A Ukrainian soldier on reconnaissance in a recently retaken village on the outskirts of Kharkiv, east Ukraine. AP Photo -
The destroyed part of the Ilyich Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol. AFP -
US President Joe Biden, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish President Sauli Niinisto walk through the White House rose garden after discussing the war, as well as potential Nato membership, in Washington. AP -
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Ukrainian forces leave the Azovstal steel works plant in Mariupol. AFP -
Russian militrary vehicles follow buses (not in picture) carrying Ukrainian troops being evacuated from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. EPA -
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Ukrainian separatist troops and Russian soldiers, rear right, guard the buses with Ukrainian troops, in Mariupol. EPA -
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Russian militrary vehicles escort buses carrying Ukrainian troops from the Azovstal steel plant. EPA -
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Some of the Ukrainian troops evacuated from the steel plant. AP -
A pro-Russian fighter stands guard next to a combat vehicle, before the evacuation of wounded Ukrainian soldiers from the besieged Azovstal steel mill,in Mariupol. Reuters -
Pro-Russian troops wait before the evacuation of wounded Ukrainian soldiers from the Azovstal steel mill. Reuters -
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Buses carrying Ukrainian soldiers from the besieged Azovstal steel mill drive away under escort of the pro-Russian forces, in Mariupol. Reuters -
Pro-Russian troops stand guard on a road in Mariupol, Ukraine. Reuters -
Left to right, clockwise: Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Kyrgyzstan's President Sadyr Japarov, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Tajikistan's President Emomali Rakhmon, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Stanislav Zas, Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), and Belarus's President Alexander Lukashenko hold a meeting of CSTO leaders at the Kremlin in Moscow. AFP -
Finland's President Sauli Niinisto and US Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell answer questions from the media as Republican senators John Barrasso, Susan Collins and John Cornyn and US new ambassador to Finland Douglas Hickey listen, after a meeting at the president's official residence in Helsinki. Reuters -
Sweden's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson speaks to the media before the parliamentary debate on Swedish Nato membership, in Stockholm. Reuters -
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A damaged street on the outskirts of Kharkiv. EPA -
A damaged residential building on the outskirts of Kharkiv. EPA -
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"I emphasised that Sweden welcomes the possibility of co-operation in the fight against international terrorism and emphasised that Sweden clearly supports the fight against terrorism and the terrorist listing of the PKK," she said.
In a separate call, Mr Erdogan told Finnish President Sauli Niinisto that failing to deal with organisations that posed a threat to a Nato ally would not suit the spirit of alliance, Ankara said.
Mr Niinisto said he held "open and direct" talks with Mr Erdogan and agreed to continue close dialogue.
Turkey surprised its Nato allies last week by objecting to the two countries' accession to the military alliance, but western leaders have expressed confidence that Ankara's objections will not be a roadblock for the membership process.
All 30 Nato states must give their approval before a new member can be admitted and thus benefit from the collective-security guarantee.
