STOCKHOLM (TASS): The ruling Social Democratic Workers’ Party of Sweden believes that the best option from the point of view of the country’s security is joining NATO, otherwise the kingdom will be in a vulnerable position. This was announced on Sunday at a press conference by Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson.
“We Social Democrats believe that the best guarantee for the security of the Swedish people and Sweden will be NATO membership,” she said. alliances will not serve us well in the future. If Sweden remains the only non-NATO state in the Baltic Sea region, we will be in a vulnerable position.”
Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist also pointed out that the kingdom cannot be the only Scandinavian country not to join the alliance. “Now we are in a new situation: if Finland joins NATO, and Sweden remains alone [non-bloc], it will be an unrealistic decision. We would be lagging behind in terms of <…> cooperation with NATO,” he said.
According to the prime minister, the decision on NATO membership “was made after careful consideration” and is connected with the Russian military special operation in Ukraine. “We do not believe that the situation will change in the near future. It is possible that Russia will increase pressure on Sweden,” Andersson stated her point of view.
The Foreign Minister Ann Linde said that he leadership of the ruling Social Democratic Workers’ Party of Sweden at a meeting on Sunday supported the kingdom’s entry into NATO.
“Today the Swedish Social Democratic Party made the historic decision to say yes and apply for membership in the NATO defense alliance,” she tweeted. According to the minister, the reason for this step was the Russian military special operation in Ukraine, which allegedly “worsened the security situation in Sweden and Europe as a whole.”
The party’s program previously stated that “freedom from military alliances serves Sweden well and contributes to stability and security in Northern Europe” and that such a course implies an active, broad and responsible security and foreign policy, combined with deepening defense cooperation, including transatlantic.
Now the country’s parliament has an absolute majority of votes in favor of joining NATO – six out of eight parties support membership in the alliance.
Nuclear weapons and bases
Sweden’s ruling party supported the country’s entry into NATO with one caveat: the alliance should not place nuclear weapons and permanent bases on the territory of the kingdom. The corresponding message is posted on the website of this political force.
“At the meeting held today, May 15, 2022, the board of the Social Democrats decided that the party will work on Sweden’s application for NATO membership,” the text says. “The Social Democrats will seek to ensure that Sweden, if the application is approved NATO has laid out unilateral reservations against the deployment of nuclear weapons and permanent bases on Swedish soil.”
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