With 269 yes to 37 no, and 44 absent, the Riksdag today passed the NATO bill. Sweden will join NATO.
"It is a strength that six out of eight parties support Swedish NATO membership. The strong support in the Riksdag and in public opinion is important, said Foreign Minister Tobias Billström (M) during the Riksdag debate before the decision.
"It is clear that it is a historic day that the Riksdag has confirmed NATO membership," former Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist (S) said in Rapport.
'Totally convinced'
The government has now been given the go-ahead by the Riksdag to join NATO and introduce the legislative changes required for this to be possible. The changes will, among other things, make it easier for the government to request military support from NATO.
But first, Turkey and Hungary must ratify Sweden's application to the defense alliance.
Tobias Billström said in Sunday's Agenda that he is "completely convinced" that Sweden will be approved by all countries at the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 11.
V and MP voted no
Two parliamentary parties voted no, V and MP. At the same time, the two had made a number of counterproposals that if we join NATO, Sweden should, among other things, ban nuclear weapons and permanent NATO troops on Swedish soil. Those proposals were voted down.
"NATO membership puts us in a military alliance that is the one that Russia has identified as its greatest enemy. 200 years of military nonalignment have shown that Sweden has escaped wars and conflicts by having the right to decide here in Stockholm, says Håkan Svenneling (V).
– We are concerned that Sweden's important work for the disarmament of nuclear weapons will be made more difficult, said Jacob Risberg (MP), during the Riksdag debate.