After two centuries of neutrality and two years of negotiations, Sweden officially became NATO’s 32nd member on Thursday (7), an important step for a country that until then had been careful not to arouse Moscow’s ire.
(RFI) Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson is traveling to Washington, where the head of US diplomacy, Antony Blinken, will officially receive the ratification documents, obtained after lengthy negotiations with certain members of the Alliance.
The blue and yellow Swedish flag is due to be raised on Monday in front of NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Russia promised last week to take measures in reaction to Stockholm’s accession, which will depend on “the conditions and extent of Sweden’s integration into NATO”.
Sweden’s accession, following Finland’s last year, means that all the countries on the edge of the Baltic Sea, with the exception of Russia, are now members of the Atlantic Alliance.
Sweden and Finland, although militarily close to the United States through their membership of the European Union, have historically preferred to stay away from the alliance, formed during the Cold War against the Soviet Union.
Although Sweden contributes to international peacekeeping forces, it hasn’t experienced a war since the conflict with Norway in 1814.
“Many sacrifices”
Helsinki and Stockholm simultaneously announced their bids to join NATO in 2022, in reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Finland was granted membership of the Alliance last April, but Sweden’s process was punctuated by negotiations with Turkey, which accused the Nordic country of leniency towards Kurdish activists who had taken refuge on Swedish soil, some of whom Ankara considered to be terrorists.
Sweden also had to deal with the reluctance of the Hungarian Prime Minister. Viktor Orban had certainly given his agreement in principle a long time ago, but before concluding the process, he demanded “respect” from Stockholm, which had allegedly “denigrated” Hungarian policies for years.
At the end of February, the Hungarian parliament finally ratified Sweden’s accession to NATO.
According to a poll by SR radio broadcast on Friday, the majority of Swedes believe that the country has made “too many sacrifices” to become a member of NATO, although they admit that Sweden’s security has been strengthened by membership.
Sweden’s accession to NATO has been accompanied by a clear hardening of rhetoric from its leaders, with the commander-in-chief of the Swedish armed forces, Micael Biden, declaring in January that his compatriots “must mentally prepare for war”.
In addition to applying to join NATO, at the beginning of December Sweden signed an agreement authorizing the United States to have access to 17 military bases on its territory.
With information from AFP *** Translated by DEFCONPree FYI Team ***