After two centuries of neutrality and two years of diplomacy, Sweden officially became the 32nd member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Thursday, the US government announced on Thursday.
Both the Swedish and US governments had indicated earlier in the day that the process would be finalized on Thursday during Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson’s visit to Washington.
Kristersson will join First Lady Jill Biden in the viewing box for US President Joe Biden‘s 2024 State of the Union address in Washington.
Sweden’s NATO accession will come into effect immediately once it deposits the formal documentation, which Kristersson will do in an official ceremony with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken later on Thursday, the Swedish government confirmed.
“Sweden is a strong democracy with a highly capable military that shares our values and vision for the world,” read the White House briefing. “Having Sweden as a NATO Ally will make the United States and our Allies even safer.”
The Swedish flag is then expected to be hoisted at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Monday.
While already militarily intertwined with the United States and members of the European Union, Sweden has not been involved in a war since the Napoleonic conflicts of the early 19th century, remaining neutral in both world wars in the 20th century.
However, in the wake of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Sweden joined Nordic neighbors Finland in applying for membership in NATO.
While Finland, which shares a 1,340-kilometer (830-mile) border with Russia, was welcomed into the alliance in April 2023, Sweden’s candidacy stalled due to a diplomatic dispute with NATO member Turkey, which demanded that Stockholm clamp down on people in Sweden, often Kurds, deemed militants by Turkey.
Read the full story on DW.com.
