Swedish Flag Raised At NATO HQ To Establish Country’s Status As 32nd Member

March 11, 2024

Flag-raising ceremony in Brussels, Belgium, on March 11, 2024, at NATO Headquarters in the presence of Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, and Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden. Military personnel raise the Swedish flag during Sweden’s NATO accession ceremony. The ceremony was held to commemorate Sweden’s accession to the military alliance, which was formally announced last week after the country abandoned its previous neutral position. Like Finland, Sweden was encouraged to join the alliance following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Omar Habana/Getty Images) (Photo by Omar Habana/Getty Images)

OAN’s Elizabeth Bolbelding
5:42 PM – Monday, March 11, 2024

Sweden’s flag was raised at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) headquarters, securing its status as one of the 32 Nordic nations.^n.d. member of the alliance.

Monday, March 11th^th, Sweden held a flag-raising ceremony and was officially welcomed into NATO. Sweden joins the alliance as the second new member state since the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called Sweden’s recognition “a historic day.” In a show of solidarity, Swedish government officials and party leaders from various parties also gathered.

NATO Secretary-General, Crown Princess Victoria, and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson as two soldiers hoist a blue flag with a yellow cross inside the official flag ring at the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium. I watched over it.

“After more than 200 years of non-alignment, Sweden now enjoys protection under Article 5, the ultimate guarantee of freedom and security for allied nations,” Stoltenberg said.

All member states are bound by Article 5, which was previously invoked by the United States after the September 11 attacks.^th2001. Supporting allies whose territory or security is at risk.

Sweden has maintained a neutral position for more than 200 years, but support for Sweden’s membership in NATO has grown as news of Russian aggression increases, including the alleged presence of Russian submarines in the region.

Turkey and Hungary had previously blocked Sweden from joining NATO.

Turkey has expressed concern that Sweden is giving sanctuary to terrorist Kurdish groups, and Hungarian President Viktor Orbán has expressed pro-Russian sentiments and shared the alliance’s determination to protect Ukraine. It is said that it is not.

“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.

Sweden officially joined NATO on March 7th.^th, shedding decades of post-World War II neutrality. In April 2023, neighboring Finland also joined the alliance, taking a historic step to end years of military non-alignment.

“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 said minutes before the flag-raising ceremony. explained to reporters. “We will share the burden, responsibility and risk with our allies.”

Sweden has worked closely with NATO on military exercises for many years. Additionally, the country spends 2% of its GDP on defense, meeting NATO requirements.

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