Sweden, whose name has long been associated with neutrality, became an official member of the North Atlantic Treaty Association (NATO) on Thursday.
“This is a historic moment for Sweden. It’s historic for the alliance. It’s historic for the transatlantic relationship,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who joined Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at the accession ceremony. “Our NATO alliance is now stronger, larger than it’s ever been.”
A major factor in the Nordic nation’s decision to join NATO was of course Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, an event that forced many nations to reconsider their military connections.
“We are humbled, but we are also proud,” said Kristersson, promising that Sweden would “live up to high expectations from all NATO allies.”
As a member of NATO, Sweden will be protected by Article 5 – a cornerstone of the transatlantic alliance was that guarantees support from all members should any one of them be the victim of an armed attack. Article 5 has only been activated once in NATO’s history, by the US following the disastrous attacks on Sep. 11th, 2001.
“Sweden will now take its rightful place at NATO’s table, with an equal say in shaping NATO policies and decisions,” said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. This event “demonstrates that NATO’s door remains open and that every nation has the right to choose its own path.”
Sweden’s blue and yellow flag will be raised outside the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels on Monday.
The Biden Administration also celebrated the achievement, saying in a statement that Sweden’s accession would “make the US and our allies even safer.” NATO, which was formed in 1949 following World War II, “is as critical today to ensuring the security of our citizens as it was 75 years ago.”
President Biden will likely use Sweden’s accession as a tool to convince Republicans to accept a spending package that has stalled due to disagreements on immigration policy.
Sweden is the 32nd nation to join NATO, following Finland in 2023. Its accession would have happened sooner if not for opposition from Turkey, which fears Sweden is harboring Kurdish groups it views as terrorists, and Hungary, whose president has displayed pro-Russian sentiment and cares little for Ukraine.
For a new state to join the alliance, all existing members must ratify the decision and contact the US Government, which serves as the depositary for the group. New members are confirmed only after each existing member deposits an “instrument of accession” with the US government. In addition to Ukraine, the following nations have announced aspirations to join the military alliance: Bosnia, Herzegovina, and Georgia.
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