For Sweden, the drama surrounding joining NATO is finally over. Russia is unlikely to be happy. The defense alliance now has twice as many members as it did at the end of the Cold War.
Sweden is a member of NATO after an almost two-year standoff. The defense alliance officially accepted the Scandinavian EU country. In the future it will consist of 32 allies. That is twice as many as during the Cold War.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke of a “historic day”. After more than 200 years of non-alignment, Sweden now enjoys the protection afforded by Article 5, “the ultimate guarantee of the freedom and security of the Allies.” At the same time, Sweden’s accession also makes NATO stronger. The country has an efficient armed forces and a first-class defense industry.
The application for membership was made in 2022
Sweden applied for membership in May 2022 under the impression of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and at that time still hoped to be able to join the following summer. However, alliance members Turkey and Hungary held up the accession process for more than a year.
The necessary consent from Hungary finally only came at the end of February after a visit by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban. Several agreements on arms cooperation were announced. Among other things, they stipulate that Hungary can buy four new Jas 39 Gripen fighter jets from Sweden.
Türkiye made demands
Before Hungary, Turkey in particular had blocked Sweden’s accession to NATO for a long time. In the end, the country only gave the necessary consent after Sweden pledged greater efforts in the fight against terrorist organizations. Ankara was primarily concerned with the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), which the EU has also classified as a terrorist organization. The US government also pushed forward a process to sell F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.
Together with Sweden, Finland also applied for NATO membership in 2022. However, the country was welcomed into the alliance as the 31st member in April last year.
Sweden’s accession to NATO was sealed during a visit to Washington by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson. There he handed over the certificate of accession to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken after the US State Department confirmed receipt of the Hungarian consent. This is the so-called depository of the founding treaty of NATO and is responsible for registering documents relating to the so-called North Atlantic Treaty.
Stoltenberg has recently repeatedly emphasized that, in his view, Finland and Sweden joining the alliance is a clear sign of the failure of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s policies. Putin went to war against Ukraine with the declared goal of having less NATO presence in Europe and preventing further expansion of the alliance, he explained. Now Putin is getting exactly the opposite of what he wanted.
NATO emphasizes defensive character
At the same time, NATO emphasizes that there is no reason for Russia to feel threatened by northern expansion. The alliance also contradicts representations that the alliance wants to literally encircle Russia. According to NATO information, of the more than 20,000 kilometer long Russian land border, even after the expansion, only around eleven percent are currently a NATO border.
According to Stoltenberg, there will be a ceremony marking Sweden’s accession at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday. The Swedish flag will also be hoisted in front of the alliance headquarters.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
