"We have withdrawn licences (for weapons exports) to two countries ... due to the situation in the region," Andreas Ekman Duse, the head of the Swedish Agency for Non-Proliferation and Export Controls (ISP), told AFP.

"We cannot say which countries, due to commercial and diplomatic classified information," he said.

His agency, which controls Sweden's exports of military equipment, would closely watch the situation, and the licences could be restored "if the development in these countries goes in a democratic direction," he said, adding "when that will happen I cannot say."

ISP meanwhile also announced Wednesday that Sweden last year saw its military equipment exports rise one percent to 13.7 billion kronor (1.55 billion euros, $2.16 billion).

Around 70 percent of that went to the European Union, the United States and South Africa, with the number boosted by a larger order of 90 tanks to the Netherlands and Sweden's ongoing deliveries of JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets to South Africa.

Another 20-some countries accounted for the remainder of exports, and the Scandinavian country for instance raked in 804 million kronor from weapons sales to the United Arab Emirates and 246 million kronor from sales to Saudi Arabia, ISP said in a statement.

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