Sweden officially joins NATO, ending 200 years of neutrality
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After non-alignment for over 200 years, Sweden is now protected under Article 5 of NATO which guarantees allies' freedom and security.
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German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and Swedish Defense Minister Pal Johnson signed a letter of intent during their meeting at Karlberg Palace in Stockholm, on March 5, 2024. (AP)
Sweden officially became the 32nd NATO member on Thursday, ending two centuries of formal non-alignment and concluding two years of excruciating diplomacy as the war in Ukraine rages on.
The official accession became possible after the Hungarian parliament last week voted to approve the Nordic nation's bid to join the NATO alliance.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson was in Washington, where Secretary of State Antony Blinken was to ceremonially receive the ratification paperwork following a hard-fought campaign to get the necessary approval from all NATO countries.
The accession "is a victory for freedom today. Sweden has made a free, democratic, sovereign and united choice to join NATO," he said at a ceremony in Washington with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Binken, on his part, called the move a "strategic debacle" for Russia, adding that "good things come to those who wait."
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed that this was a "historic day" for Sweden to take its "rightful place" in providing an equal say in NATO policies.
He highlighted that following more than 200 years of non-alignment, the ally is now protected under "Article 5, the ultimate guarantee of allies' freedom and security."
The Swedish government declared that it would conduct a special meeting to ratify admission.
The Swedish Prime Minister is scheduled to attend US President Joe Biden's annual State of the Union speech, where he has been fighting to persuade the Republican Party to accept further aid to Ukraine.
Sweden's blue and golden-yellow flag is due to be raised on Monday at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
Russia has vowed to take countermeasures against the ascension. On its Telegram channel, the embassy stated that "Russia will take political and military-technical response measures to counter threats to its national security. Their specific content will depend on the conditions and scale of Sweden's integration into NATO, including the possible deployment of NATO contingents, strike systems, and weapons on the country's territory."
The Russian mission stated that Sweden's accession to NATO would adversely impact the stability level in Northern Europe. The statement affirmed that despite assertions from Sweden's future "NATO relatives", the Baltic Sea will never be deemed an "internal NATO sea."
In recent years, Russia has observed unprecedented NATO activity near its western borders, prompting repeated expressions of concern from Moscow about the alliance's force buildup in Europe. The Russian Foreign Ministry has emphasized its willingness to engage in dialogue with NATO on equal terms while urging the West to refrain from further "militarizing the continent."
Swedes say 'too many sacrifices' made for NATO bid: Poll
According to a recent study, the majority of Swedes feel their nation paid "too many sacrifices" to join NATO, but they agree that Sweden's security would be better.
Sweden's interest in joining NATO has been a topic of discussion and consideration for several decades. In 1994, Sweden formally submitted its application to join NATO's Partnership for Peace program. Following the start of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine, Sweden formally applied to join the alliance on May 18, 2022. Then, on July 5, 2022, NATO signed the accession protocol for Sweden to join.
According to a study done by analyst firm Indikator for Swedish broadcaster SR, 55% of Swedes feel that the Scandinavian country "has made too many sacrifices to join NATO," even though 77% agree that the country's "security is strengthened" by its participation.
A total of 2,413 persons participated in the survey, which did not ask questions concerning the types of sacrifices that respondents objected to.
According to Per Oleskog Tryggvason, head of research at Indikator, the findings demonstrate that Swedes regard the NATO process as a "complicated issue".
"The opinion that Sweden's security is strengthened by NATO membership, for that there is an overwhelming consensus. But you can see that the road there has not been straightforward," Tryggvason remarked.
Sweden's application was chiefly opposed by Turkey, which accused the Nordic nation of providing a safe haven for hundreds of people it thinks are related to the failed 2016 coup attempt.
