Turkey has not ruled out Sweden and Finland joining NATO, but wants talks with the Nordic nations and a crackdown on what it considers terrorist activity, particularly in Stockholm, according to President Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesperson on Saturday.

“We will not shut the door. However, we are addressing this issue primarily for Turkey’s national security “In an interview with Reuters in Istanbul, Ibrahim Kalin, the president’s senior foreign policy advisor, said.

Erdogan surprised NATO members and the two Nordic countries seeking membership by saying on Friday it was not possible for Turkey to support enlarging the alliance because Finland and Sweden were “home to many terrorist organisations”.