Sweden took another step towards NATO when the ruling Social Democratic Party announced on Sunday its position in favor of accession, a position that has broad parliamentary support and coinciding with the day that Finland approved sending its application to join the Alliance.
“The best thing for the security of Sweden and the Swedes is to join NATO,” said Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, whose one-party minority government will formally announce its decision tomorrow after a parliamentary debate in which It has the support of the main parties.
Andersson mentioned the war in Ukraine and the Finnish position as key arguments to justify a radical turn in a party that made non-alignment a hallmark for decades and that in November approved in its general congress maintaining the status of an ally and rejecting the entry into the Alliance.
“Military nonalignment has served us well, but it won’t do the same in the future. It is not a decision that we take lightly, but we must adapt to reality,” Andersson said, while Foreign Minister Ann Linde assured that there was no other “realistic” alternative outside of NATO.
Andersson pointed out that there is a “before and an after” of February 24, the start date of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and that Sweden would be in a “very exposed” position if it were the only Baltic country not integrated into NATO.
He stressed at the same time that the decision does not go “against Russia”, although he admitted that he expects some kind of retaliation from Moscow in the form of “cyber attacks, hybrids or other measures”.
radical twist
Two weeks after the start of the Russian intervention, the head of the Swedish government had ruled out joining NATO on the grounds that it would worsen security in the area, when opponents of the Alliance were still the majority in Parliament.
“A decision of this type is part of a process. It is about making detailed analyzes and maintaining internal dialogues, with other parties and other countries. Now that all the pieces of the puzzle fit together we are ready to decide », he explained.
The Social Democrats, however, maintain a “unilateral reservation” against the deployment of nuclear weapons and permanent bases on Swedish territory, similar to what Denmark and Norway already have.
“Being a member of NATO is not an impediment to having an active voice against rearmament and nuclear weapons,” said Andersson.
The turn taken by the Social Democratic government and the speed of the process have generated some external criticism, from its socialist and environmental allies, and internal criticism, such as the party’s Youth, who today demanded that it guarantee that Sweden will be free of nuclear weapons and will never host bases foreign military.
Andersson showed “respect” for the discordant opinions, although he assured that the decision had the support of a “very large majority” within the party, while his secretary, Tobias Baudin, defended that a serious discussion had taken place on a complex issue.
“Clearly there has been a lot of frustration about the pace of the issue. If we had been able to control the process it would have gone differently, but we know that this is not the case and that we have to adapt to the times in which we live,” said Baudin.
Finland and NATO
The Social Democrats’ announcement came hours after the Finnish president and government officially confirmed that they would seek NATO membership, ending nearly eight decades of non-alignment.
“Today is a historic day, a new era opens. A protected Finland is born as part of a stable Nordic region, strong and aware of its responsibilities”, said the president, Sauli Niinistö, together with the prime minister, the Social Democrat Sanna Marin.
Finland’s application for accession, which justified its decision by the radical change in the European security environment, still has to be ratified by Parliament, although it is expected to achieve broad support given the great consensus that exists between the political parties.
The final vote is expected to take place on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday of next week, depending on how long the preliminary parliamentary debate that begins tomorrow takes.
NATO support
At an informal meeting of foreign ministers in Berlin, NATO also said today that it awaits Sweden and Finland “with open arms” if they confirm in the coming days that they want to become new members and hoped to convince Turkey to endorse the extension.
“They meet the standards and participate in joint missions,” stated the German Foreign Minister, Annalena Baerbock, whose country will initiate an accelerated procedure to approve the candidacy, so that Sweden and Finland are not in a “gray area” before its full entry into NATO.
Andersson also referred to this issue, recalling that Sweden has received specific security guarantees from the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Germany and the rest of the Nordic countries.
Turkey has been critical of Finland and Sweden for their alleged backing of Kurdish activists and others whom it considers “terrorists”.
“We will continue the dialogue with Turkey to clarify some misunderstandings,” Linde said today, who does not believe that they will affect the ratification process..
