Sweden has officially announced its intention to join NATO

Magdalena Anderson and Ulf Christerson this Monday in Stockholm. HENRIK MONTGOMERY (EFE)

Swedish Prime Minister, Social Democrat Magdalena Anderson, and opposition leader, Conservative Ulf Christerson, officially announced on Monday that Sweden will announce its NATO membership. “There is a clear parliamentary majority that supports accession,” Anderson told a news conference. “This is the best option for Swedish security,” he added. “Russia will not like Sweden and Finland to join NATO. “We have to prepare for some difficult months,” Christerson said. The Swedish president insisted that several members of the alliance – “US, UK, France and Germany” – offer guarantees to protect Sweden in the months leading up to the accession’s ratification.

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The announcement by the leaders of the Scandinavian country’s two main parliamentary forces came hours after a parliamentary debate in the Riksdag (the parliament), where the left and greens were the only formation opposed to joining the alliance. A party to which only 43 of the 349 seats are added. And a day later, Finland – a country with which Sweden has maintained close military cooperation for the past ten years – officially announced its intention to join the military bloc. The Swedish president acknowledged in the Riksdag that the events in Helsinki had a “profound influence” on the final decision in Stockholm. Anderson stressed that if Sweden becomes the only Baltic country not part of the Atlantic Alliance, it would be in a “very vulnerable position”, stressing that Russia would “step up the pressure”. Scandinavian country.

The Social Democratic Prime Minister said the Swedish ambassador will submit a formal application for NATO membership “in the coming days” at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, adding that it will be submitted at the same time as the Finnish application.

Anderson and several other leaders who have supported joining the transatlantic organization argued in a parliamentary speech Monday that they want to rule out the possibility of deploying nuclear weapons or establishing permanent bases with allied forces. Swedish territory – as once required by Norway and Denmark upon joining the Atlantic Alliance. Founded in 1949, the organization’s three members are core states: the United States, France, and the United Kingdom; Others, such as Germany, Italy or Turkey, have US nuclear weapons. And more than a dozen allies, including Spain, have permanent bases with US troops on their territory.

The Swedish Social Democratic Party announced on Sunday that it had decided to change its traditional position – which it has defended for 73 years – against the military alliance. Addressing Parliament, the prime minister underlined that the application to join the Alliance “is not an easy decision, but although Sweden has been profitable for Sweden in its various forms for 200 years, it will not help the country”. in the future”.

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Monday’s statement puts an end to more than two centuries of neutrality – or “non-alignment”, a term Stockholm preferred to use after joining the EU in 1995, in which the Scandinavian country was not involved. An important way, directly in any armed conflict. Anderson stressed in his speech that NATO membership should not affect “Sweden’s ability to pursue an independent foreign policy focused on equality, democracy, human rights and nuclear disarmament”.

On Sunday, after announcing the historic decision by the Social Democrats to join the military bloc in favor of joining the military bloc, Anderson stressed that Sweden would be “vulnerable” during the ratification process, which requires parliamentary approval. of thirty current members of NATO. members. In recent months, Russia has repeatedly threatened Sweden and Finland with “political and military repercussions” if they apply for membership. “It is very clear to us that as a result of this decision, the security of Sweden and Finland will not be strengthened,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in Moscow on Monday. Shortly afterwards, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow did not view the Stockholm and Helsinki decision as a threat, but that the deployment of military infrastructure would “without doubt” have an answer.

The governments of Sweden and Finland said they would not rule out the possibility that their country could be attacked by Russian hackers in the coming months, or that the Russian government could try to meddle in future elections. The next general election will be held in Sweden on September 11. “There is much in Sweden that deserves to be defended; “And I sincerely believe that the best way to protect them is to join NATO,” he said.

In recent weeks, most NATO allies have supported the accession of the two Scandinavian countries. In addition, some of its key members, such as the United States or the United Kingdom, have guaranteed the security of the two Scandinavian countries during the accession ratification period. Jens Stoltenberg, secretary general of the Transatlantic Organization, said in Berlin on Sunday that NATO was ready to provide “security guarantees” to the two Scandinavian countries in the accession process. The Norwegian also pointed to the possibility of strengthening the Alliance’s presence in Sweden, Finland and the Baltic region at a time when the formal accession of both countries is required. After Stockholm officially announced its intentions, the governments of Norway, Denmark and Iceland issued a joint statement pledging to protect Sweden and Finland “by all means possible” if they face aggression in the coming months.

Stoltenberg emphasized that the organization guarantees a rapid accession process for Sweden and Finland, even in the organization’s shortest history. However, Turkey – which has the largest army in the alliance after the United States – seems unwilling to let the two Scandinavian countries in unhindered. Stockholm and Helsinki announced on Monday that they would send delegations to Ankara to discuss the matter. “Will they come and convince us?” “Forgive me, but don’t bother them,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at a news conference.

The Islamist president justified his opposition last Friday by saying that these countries have “become breeding grounds of terrorists”, especially for armed organizations such as the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) or the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Front (DHKP-C). Both Sweden and Finland have welcomed many activists and politicians from Turkey in recent decades – mainly pro-government and left-wing activists. Stockholm stopped arms sales to Ankara in 2019 due to a Turkish military operation in neighboring Syria. Despite Erdogan’s rambunctious statements, Washington and alliance sources insist they are confident that Ankara will ultimately not veto Sweden and Finland’s NATO membership.

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