It was today in Washington that Sweden became an official member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
This comes two years after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine prompted Sweden to reevaluate its national security policies in light of the security guarantees provided by the Alliance.
During a ceremony held at the State Department, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson presented the final membership documents. At the same time, United States Diplomat Antony Blinken extended his greetings to the 32nd member of the Alliance.
Both of the leaders referred to this transformation as historic.
According to Mr. Blinken, the Alliance is currently more powerful and more powerful than it has ever been.
The Prime Minister of Sweden, Kristersson, has stated that this film represents “a new historic wind for Sweden’s security policy.”
A statement issued by the White House stated that the United States and its allies will be safer as a result of Sweden’s membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Mr. Kristersson stated that the Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, had informed him that Sweden had been officially invited to become a member of the Alliance. This was due to the fact that all member countries had approved Sweden’s membership protocol.
The most important expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in decades is represented by the membership of Sweden and Finland, two countries that share a boundary line with Russia that is 1,340 kilometers from the border. Additionally, it is a blow to Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, who has been working to prevent the Alliance from becoming even stronger by any means necessary.
Because, according to the principle, an assault on a member nation is deemed to be an attack on the entire NATO, Sweden will be able to take advantage of the guarantees that the Alliance provides for common defense.
Mr. Kristersson made this statement after Hungary became the final member of NATO to approve Sweden’s accession protocol last week. “We have to face the world as it is and not as we would like it to be,” he said.
By joining the Alliance, Sweden contributes enormous resources, including submarines that are at the cutting edge of technology and a sizeable fleet of Gripen combat planes that are manufactured in Sweden.
It has been said that Russia will take “political and military-technical measures” in reaction to this action taken by Sweden; however, Russia has not provided any specifics regarding the nature of these measures.
In the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Stockholm decided to forsake its policy of neutrality.
Following Finland’s entry into the Alliance the previous year, it has now become a member.
Unlike Finland, Sweden had delays in the ratification of the accession treaty as a result of Turkey and Hungary, two countries that continue to maintain positive relations with Russia. These nations were responsible for the delay. During the month of January, Turkey granted Sweden’s request.
The permission was postponed by Hungary until Mr. Kristersson’s visit to Budapest on February 23, during which the two nations reached an agreement on a strategic defense partnership.
When Sweden deposited its document of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty with the Government of the United States in Washington, District of Columbia, on Thursday, March 7, 2024, it became the newest member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). As a result of Sweden’s membership, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization currently has a total of 32 countries as members.
“This is a historic day,” stated Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It is now time for Sweden to earn its rightful seat at the table of NATO, where it will have an equal say in shaping the policies and decisions of the organization.
Following more than two centuries of non-alignment, Sweden is finally able to take use of the safety that is provided by Article 5, which is the ultimate guarantee of freedom and security for allies. The Swedish military is very capable, and the country’s defense industry is among the best in the world.
NATO is strengthened, Sweden is made safer, and the entire Alliance is made more secure as a result of Sweden’s entrance. Additionally, the accession that took place today illustrates that the door to NATO is still open and that every nation has the right to select its own course.
During a ceremony that will take place on Monday (11 March 2024) at NATO headquarters in Brussels, the flag of Sweden will be raised alongside the flags of the other 31 Allies. This ceremony will also take place concurrently at NATO commands located around Europe and North America.
This is a momentous occasion for both the western military alliance and the formerly neutral nation of Sweden, since it marks the official membership of Sweden as the 32nd person to join NATO.
In Washington, the ratification procedure for Stockholm was finally finished after Sweden and Hungary, the last country to ratify Sweden’s membership, submitted the requisite documents. This was the culmination of a drawn-out process that had lasted for nearly two years.
It is the culmination of a twenty-month wait for Sweden, which began in May 2022 when the country submitted its application to join alongside Finland. This was in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February of the same year. In the previous year, Finland joined NATO as its 31st member.
The ratification of the treaty also signifies a significant movement in Sweden’s national and international identity, as the country continues to move away from its neutral stance, which it had previously maintained. This shift is a process that started with the conclusion of the cold war.
It also strengthens NATO’s authority over the Nordic region, as all of the countries in the region are now members, and it transforms the Baltic Sea into a “Nato sea” in its whole.
It was approximately 5.30 p.m. Swedish time when the Swedish prime minister, Ulf Kristersson, and the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, presided over a ceremony in which Sweden’s “instrument of accession” to the alliance was officially placed at the state department. This marked the completion of the process. Those who are patient will eventually be rewarded with good things. “There is no better example,” Blinken stated.
According to Kristersson, Sweden was considering “coming home” to NATO.
Today is a day that will go down in history. He went on to say that Sweden had recently joined NATO. In spite of our modesty, we are proud of who we are. It will be a guiding light that unity and solidarity are present. Since the beginning of this century, Sweden has maintained a policy of neutrality and military non-alignment. This is a significant step, but it is also a very normal step.
Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of NATO, was one of the first people to extend his congratulations to Sweden. He also announced that the Swedish flag would be hoisted in front of the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday.
In a post that he made on social media, he stated, “It’s official – Sweden is now the 32nd member of NATO, taking its rightful place at our table.” NATO is strengthened, Sweden is made safer, and the alliance as a whole is made more secure as a result of Sweden’s entrance.
The process of Sweden’s admission in NATO has been plagued with diplomatic difficulties and has taken a considerable amount of time. It began during the tenure of former Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, who was a member of the Swedish Social Democrat party. In 2022, her successor, Kristersson, who was a member of the Moderate party, took over the position.
In the first place, Turkey made a number of requests about Sweden’s stance toward members of the Kurdistan Workers’ party (PKK), which is considered a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States of America, and the European Union. At that time, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, the president of Turkey, along with members of the United States Congress, had established a connection between Turkey’s support for Sweden’s inclusion in NATO and the ratification of the $20 billion (£15.7 billion) sale of Lockheed Martin aircraft and modernization kits to Turkey.
It wasn’t until January that Turkey gave Sweden the go-ahead, but Hungary continued to stall its feet, frequently providing reasons that were difficult to understand. Viktor Orbán, the nationalist prime leader of Hungary, who has close links to Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, was cited by several analysts as the cause of the delay. Others believe that it was more about Orbán’s desire to show off Hungary’s military and economic power, particularly to an audience within the country. The “yes” vote was finally cast by the Hungarian parliament at the end of the previous month.
According to Andersson, “We have a stronger defense of our beloved Sweden because of this.” A more favorable moment to protect our freedom, our democracy, and our way of life.”
According to Kerstin Bergeå, the head of the Swedish Peace and Arbitration Association (SPAS), a group that advocates against war, the membership of Sweden in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a “risky misprioritization that will lead to increased tension, polarization, and militarization at a time when we need the exact opposite.”
She continued by saying, “A membership in NATO has been presented as a boon for Sweden’s security without any critical analysis; however, increased armament, joining a nuclear alliance, and allying ourselves with countries that do not practice democracy are not what lead to sustainable peace and security.”
Kristersson gave a statement to his country on Thursday evening from the Swedish embassy in Washington, which was broadcast on television. In the speech, he expressed his joy at Sweden’s decision to join NATO, which he claimed had made Sweden “a safer country than we were yesterday.”
By portraying participation in NATO as a natural end to a lengthy journey, he attempted to strike a kind and reassuring tone when he addressed individuals who were opposed to the idea of joining NATO. He made the statement that “alone is not strong” and that Sweden’s security was intertwined with the security of the rest of the world. In his concluding remarks, he used the phrase “one for all, all for one” and proclaimed the beginning of a “new epoch for Sweden.”
The integration of Sweden into NATO’s military maneuvers has not been a time-consuming process. More than 20,000 soldiers are participating in the first-of-its-kind military training exercise known as Nordic Response, which began this week across the area. The drill includes Sweden and Finland as participation countries.
It was a highly important occasion for a nation that has a long heritage of neutrality when two American bombers, accompanied by Swedish fighter jets, soared over Stockholm and Uppsala on Wednesday during a joint exercise. The drill took place in the middle of the day.
In a recent announcement, Sweden declared that it intends to send its forces to Latvia and inked a contract that grants the United States complete access to 17 of its military locations.
https://nefro-aktiv-caj.company.site/
https://www.fuzia.com/fz/nefro-aktiv-bosnia?mode=view
https://www.townscript.com/e/nefro-aktiv-caj-bosnia-311203
https://www.orthobullets.com/user/731424/Nefro-Aktiv-Bosnia
https://nefro-aktiv-caj.unicornplatform.page/
https://glonet.com/nefroaktivba
http://forum.zidoo.tv/index.php?members/nefro-aktiv-bosnia.175406/
https://fueler.io/nefroaktivba
https://www.pixiv.net/novel/show.php?id=21734658