BRUSSELS (AP) – The Swedish flag was unveiled at NATO headquarters on Monday, two years after Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine persuaded a reluctant population to seek safety under the alliance’s security umbrella. The flag was raised, cementing the Nordic nation’s status as the 32nd member state.
In the pouring rain, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Crown Princess Victoria and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg wore a blue flag with a yellow cross in the ring of the official flag at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels. I looked at two soldiers holding a flag.
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“Russia’s brutal all-out invasion of Ukraine has united Sweden behind the conclusion that full-fledged NATO membership is the only rational option,” Kristersson said. Swedish government ministers and party leaders, regardless of their political affiliations, attended the event in a show of national unity.
The NATO flag (left) is raised next to the Swedish flag during a ceremony at Musko Naval Base in Stockholm, Monday, March 11, 2024. Sweden’s flag was hoisted at NATO headquarters in Brussels, two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, cementing its status as the 32nd Nordic country, encouraging reluctant citizens to seek safety under NATO’s security umbrella. Two years after convincing him, he became a member of the alliance.
Sweden officially joined NATO on March 7, securing decades of neutrality after World War II. Neighboring Finland has already joined in April 2023, another historic move to end years of military non-alignment.
The Finnish Ministry of Defense welcomed “our comrades-in-arms” and wrote on together with other allies.”
On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to order the dispatch of troops to Ukraine caused a complete change in public opinion in both countries, and within three months, both countries agreed to join the world’s largest security organization. I applied.
Putin claimed to have started the war, at least in part, over NATO’s eastward expansion into Russia. However, the war had a negative impact and more countries joined the alliance. NATO leaders almost certainly won’t join while the conflict rages, but Ukraine itself has pledged to join at some point.
Stoltenberg said, “When President Putin launched a full-scale invasion two years ago, he wanted to shrink the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and tighten control over neighboring countries. I wanted to destroy it, but I failed.”
“NATO is now bigger and stronger. Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before, and we stand by our brave Ukrainians as they continue to fight for their freedom.” Ta.
Sweden’s accession completes the strategic ring of NATO territory surrounding the Baltic Sea. The country currently benefits from the collective security of the Alliance (Article 5 of the Treaty). This is a pledge that all will respond to an attack on one of them.
“We chose you and you chose us. All for one, one for all,” Christerson said, adding that his country adheres to the values enshrined in the Treaty of Washington, which founded NATO. I swore to protect.
The flag-raising ceremony took place as 20,000 troops from 13 countries conducted NATO training in the northern highlands of new member Sweden, neighboring Finland and Norway.
The Nordic exercise is part of a broader exercise called Steadfast Defender 24, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) largest exercise in decades, in which the alliance spans all of its territory from North America to the border with Russia. Up to 90,000 troops will be involved over several months to demonstrate to adversaries that they can defend themselves. .
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“We are humble but proud at the same time. We know that expectations are high for Sweden, but we also have high expectations for ourselves,” Kristersson told reporters minutes before the ceremony. ” he said. “We will share the burden, responsibility and risk with our allies.”
Sweden sends a well-trained and equipped army. The country has worked closely with NATO during military exercises for years, and even more so since the start of Russia’s all-out war. Sweden also meets NATO’s defense spending target of 2% of gross domestic product.
