Hultqvist on NATO membership: "Should get big waves"

The conflict over Ukraine has led to the discussion about a Swedish NATO membership flaring up again.

According to Minister of Defense Peter Hultqvist (S), membership would not only affect Sweden, but also put great pressure on Finland.

- Changing a country's security policy basics is an extremely big decision that has big waves.

Not only internally in one's own country but also for the environment, he says.

Affects the environment

The parliamentary parties are divided.

A majority of the parties are in favor of Sweden declaring a so-called NATO option, ie that Sweden may join NATO.

Only S, V and MP are against, according to a survey conducted by Novus for SVT.

But when it comes to actual membership, a majority of the members of the Riksdag are against.

The former alliance parties, M, C, KD and L, want to join NATO.

S, V, MP and SD, on the other hand, do not want it.

–

Not guaranteed help

The Moderates' party leader Ulf Kristersson is critical of the fact that the government is not open to membership. 

- Many of us hoped that Russia would develop in a democratically peaceful direction when the Soviet Union collapsed 30 years ago.

But we have been disappointed time and time again, says Kristersson in Aktuellt.

- Sweden's response so far has been that we work closely with Finland, the United States and NATO, but do not become members.

I am in favor of the cooperation, but it would have been much better if we also had the guarantees of help and support that a real member receives, he continues.

Hultqvist does not agree.

Sweden must, according to the Minister of Defense, work for cooperation within the framework of freedom of alliance.

- It is important to be able to act quickly in a given situation, if necessary.

To get into such a situation, we do not need to change our security policy bases.

If we do that, we must be clear that it is such a strong signal that things will also happen in other places.