The Turkish foreign minister said the next Swedish government should address the security concerns raised by Turkey in exchange for lifting objections to Sweden and Finland joining NATO.

The two countries applied to join NATO after the war in Ukraine but faced opposition from Turkey, which accuses them of imposing an arms embargo on Ankara and of supporting groups it considers terrorists.

Turkey dropped the objection at the NATO summit in June in exchange for what it called a tangible gain on the issue. However, Ankara says that both countries have not taken the desired steps.

Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Turkey did not expect Sweden to take steps ahead of last Sunday’s elections, but now the next government in Stockholm must take a step in this regard.

“They know that the (Turkish) parliament will not ratify this agreement unless they take (steps),” he added.

When the vote count draws to a close, the Swedish right-wing opposition is barely ahead of the ruling centre-left bloc.

The three countries have signed an agreement to withdraw Turkey’s objections in exchange for pledges to fight terrorism, but Turkey says it will block membership applications if the promises are not kept. Ankara is asking Sweden to extradite 73 people and Finland another 12 people.

Officials from the three countries agreed in August to continue meetings in the coming months to discuss Turkey’s concerns.

Cavusoglu stressed: “There is an agreement and its requirements are clear. They must be followed.”