The Swedish Social Democratic Workers’ Party, which now forms a minority government, has historically been opposed to Sweden’s NATO membership.
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She confirmed this attitude at a congress last November, but the Prime Minister has indicated several times recently that the Russian invasion of Ukraine has completely changed the situation. This was confirmed by the party leadership on Sunday.
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“The party will seek Sweden to apply for NATO membership,” the Social Democrats said in a statement.
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Andersson told a news conference that “it is best for Sweden and the Swedish people to join NATO.” “We think Sweden needs formal security guarantees, which include membership in the North Atlantic Alliance,” she added.
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Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde also announced the move this week. The Swedish Parliament’s security report concluded that Sweden’s membership in NATO would strengthen the security of neighboring countries and reduce the risk of conflict in northern Europe.
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“Our view is that we would not suffer a conventional military attack in response to a possible application to join NATO,” Linde said. Joining the North Atlantic Alliance would have a “deterrent effect in Northern Europe”, the report concluded.
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Neighboring Finland will also apply for NATO membership, confirmed Finnish President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin on Sunday. The application will be considered by the Finnish parliament on Monday, but approval is considered a formality, the AP agency said. Probably next week, the Finnish request could be handed over to the alliance’s Brussels headquarters.
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The Swedes have previously said that Finland’s position will be important to them. On Sunday, the Swedish Prime Minister added that if Sweden remained the only country in the Baltic region that is not a member of NATO, it would be in a very vulnerable position. However, she emphasized that membership in the alliance would certainly not reduce Stockholm’s role in promoting nuclear disarmament.
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Threats from Russia
The Russians are trying to discourage both countries from joining the alliance. As early as February, the Russian Foreign Ministry warned through a spokesman that “the accession of Finland and Sweden would have serious military and political consequences that would force us to take appropriate action.”
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Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Finnish decision a mistake on Saturday.
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With the accession of both Finland and Sweden, NATO would grow to 32 member states.
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Of the members of the alliance, Turkey expressed reservations about the entry of the two hitherto neutral Nordic countries, pointing to their alleged support for the Kurdish Workers’ Party (PKK), which Ankara considers a terrorist organization. However, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said after Sunday’s meeting of the alliance’s foreign ministers in Berlin that Turkey did not intend to block enlargement.
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Andersson acknowledged on Sunday that “a lot of things” could happen during the ratification process and that Sweden needed to be prepared for it.
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