2024-03-11 18:00:19
The Swedish flag was flying at NATO headquarters today, Monday, marking the Scandinavian country as the 32nd member of the alliance, in the presence of the country’s Crown Princess Victoria, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who expressed his welcome. Stockholm as the newest member of the Atlantic.
Sharjah 24 – AFP:
The Swedish flag was raised today, Monday, at the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Brussels, following the Scandinavian country became the thirty-second member of the defense alliance, following a long process, the result of which the Secretary-General of the alliance considered to be evidence of the defeat of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg explained that NATO has become bigger and stronger, just before the Swedish flag joined 31 other flags raised in front of the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels.
Under heavy rain, and in the presence of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, two Swedish army officers raised the yellow and blue flag, to the tune of the country’s national anthem.
The flag was raised between the flags of Spain and Turkey, which had obstructed Stockholm’s accession process for more than 20 months.
Stoltenberg added that Sweden’s accession reflects once once more that the door to NATO is open, and every country has the right to choose its own path, following Russia intensified its warnings before Sweden and Finland also joined.
Stoltenberg continued, when President Putin launched war on Ukraine two years ago, he wanted to weaken NATO and gain more control over its neighbors, and he wanted to destroy Ukraine as a sovereign state, but he failed.
Following the Russian war on Ukraine, Sweden announced its candidacy to join the coalition, abandoning decades of neutrality that followed World War II, followed by military non-alignment since the end of the Cold War.
Stockholm contributes to international peacekeeping forces, but it has not witnessed war since a conflict with Norway in 1814.
On Thursday, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson handed US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken the official documents for his country’s accession to NATO.
The North Atlantic Treaty was signed in Washington in April 1949.
Stoltenberg has always stressed the importance of continuing support for Ukraine, and stressed that President Putin started this war and can end it today, adding, but Ukraine does not have this option, and surrender does not lead to peace.
The Secretary General of NATO continued, “We must continue to strengthen Ukraine’s strength to show President Putin that he will not get what he wants on the battlefield, and that he must come to the negotiating table,” stressing that Ukraine is closer than ever to joining NATO.
With the accession of Finland and Sweden, all countries bordering the Baltic Sea – except Russia – became members of NATO.
While Finland officially joined the coalition last April, Sweden’s accession faced arduous negotiations with Turkey, which accused the Scandinavian country of being lenient with Kurdish refugee activists on its soil.
Sweden also had to address the reservations of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who agreed in principle a long time ago to its joining the alliance, but before completing the process he asked Stockholm for some respect, following years of distorting the image of his policies.
At the end of last February, the Hungarian Parliament approved Sweden’s accession to NATO.
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