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.
"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.
The biog
Job: Fitness entrepreneur, body-builder and trainer
Favourite superhero: Batman
Favourite quote: We must become the change we want to see, by Mahatma Gandhi.
Favourite car: Lamborghini
Results
Women finals: 48kg - Urantsetseg Munkhbat (MGL) bt Distria Krasniqi (KOS); 52kg - Odette Guiffrida (ITA) bt Majlinda Kelmendi (KOS); 57kg - Nora Gjakova (KOS) bt Anastasiia Konkina (Rus)
Men’s finals: 60kg - Amiran Papinashvili (GEO) bt Francisco Garrigos (ESP); 66kg - Vazha Margvelashvili (Geo) bt Yerlan Serikzhanov (KAZ)
Anghami
Started: December 2011
Co-founders: Elie Habib, Eddy Maroun
Based: Beirut and Dubai
Sector: Entertainment
Size: 85 employees
Stage: Series C
Investors: MEVP, du, Mobily, MBC, Samena Capital
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Read more about the coronavirus
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
