Blinken (right) as Kristersson handed over today in Washington the official document of Sweden’s accession to NATO (French)

Today, Thursday, Sweden officially became the 32nd member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), after two centuries of neutrality, then military non-alignment, and two years of negotiations, which represented a major shift for a country that until 2022 remained keen to avoid angering its neighbor, Russia.

Commenting on the event, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said upon receiving the official documents for Sweden’s accession to NATO, “He who is patient will find.”

For his part, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who traveled to Washington to participate in his country's joining ceremony, said that this step represents a "victory for freedom."

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, "This is a historic day. Sweden will now take its rightful place at the NATO table."

He added, "After 200 years of non-alignment, Sweden now benefits from protection under Article Five, the full guarantee of freedom and security" of NATO members.

In turn, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky commented by saying that "it is important today to recognize that another country in Europe has become safer from Russian evil," he said.

raise the flag

This accession was approved after a long struggle and negotiations with a number of NATO members.

Next Monday, the Swedish flag will be raised in front of NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Last week, Russia threatened to take “countermeasures” in response to the accession, which would depend on “the circumstances and extent of Sweden’s integration into NATO.”

Sweden's accession after Finland's accession last year means that all countries located on the Baltic Sea, except Russia, are now members of NATO.

Although Sweden and Finland are militarily close to the United States by virtue of their affiliation to the European Union, they have historically preferred to stay away from the military alliance that was formed during the Cold War against the Soviet Union.

Sweden contributes to international peacekeeping forces, but it has not witnessed a war since its conflict with Norway in 1814.

"Very big sacrifices"

An opinion poll conducted by a local radio station on Friday revealed that the majority of Swedes believe that their country has made “very great sacrifices” to become a member of the military alliance, but they also acknowledge that Sweden’s security has been strengthened by this step.

Helsinki and Stockholm simultaneously announced their candidacy to join the alliance in 2022 following the start of the Russian attack on Ukraine.

While Finland officially joined the coalition last April, Sweden's accession faced difficult 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 long ago to join the alliance, but before completing the process asked Stockholm for some “respect” after years of “tarnishing the image” of his policies.

At the end of last February, the Hungarian Parliament approved Sweden's accession to NATO.

Sweden's accession to the alliance was accompanied by a clear hardening of the rhetoric of its officials, as the Supreme Commander of the Swedish Armed Forces, Michael Biden, announced last January that his citizens must "morally prepare for war."

In addition to its nomination to join the alliance, Sweden signed an agreement at the beginning of last December allowing the United States to use 17 military bases on its territory.

Source: Agencies