Erdogan announces new meeting this month on Sweden's NATO bid

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said another meeting would be held later this month after hosting Tuesday Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who was hoping to persuade Turkey to drop its opposition to Sweden joining NATO.

"We hope to see a more positive picture when the joint meeting is organised in Stockholm towards the end of the month," Erdogan said, without specifying the date.

The Turkish leader added that he "sincerely wished" that Sweden joined the US-led military alliance.

"We understand their security concerns, and we want Sweden to respond to ours," said Erdogan, who has blocked NATO membership bids from the Scandinavian nation and its neighbour Finland, accusing them of harbouring outlawed Kurdish militants.

Erdogan has demanded Finland and Sweden extradite members of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, which has battled against the Turkish state for decades and is considered a terrorist group by Ankara and its Western allies.

Kristersson said "the watchword in Sweden is to fight terrorism" and described his meeting with Erdogan in Ankara as "very productive".