Defense alliance: Sweden’s parliament votes to join NATO

With an overwhelming majority, the Swedish parliament voted in favor of joining NATO. Now the approval of two members of the security alliance is still missing.

Sweden’s parliament voted to join NATO. After a debate in Stockholm, a majority of parliamentarians voted to abandon Sweden’s decades of non-alignment in favor of NATO membership. This requires two changes in the law.

Among the MPs present, 269 voted in favor of the merger and 37 voted against. Only two of the eight parties in Sweden’s parliament – the Left and the Greens – oppose the merger.

A historic vote after years of non-alignment

NATO membership is the best way to ensure Sweden’s security, Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said during the consultation. He spoke about a historic event and one of the country’s most important defense policy decisions.

Regarding the timetable for Sweden’s accession, Billström said his country could join in July in Vilnius, the site of a NATO summit. “The support we have is very solid and I can make this assessment,” the minister said.

NATO membership only after ratification

Sweden can become a NATO member only if all 30 member states agree to the ratification. 28 countries have already done so. Hungary and Turkey are still missing. However, Ankara has blocked Sweden from joining the coalition on the grounds that Sweden is not doing enough against “terrorist organizations”. The Turkish government has classified the Kurdish Workers’ Party PKK as a “terrorist organization”. He provided Sweden with a list of 120 suspects to be extradited. To address the controversy, Sweden recently proposed tougher terrorism laws.

It is possible to add Finland before Sweden

In the wake of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, Sweden applied for NATO membership in May 2022 along with its neighbor Finland. Both countries wanted to join the alliance. Now Finland’s accession to the alliance can proceed quickly. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he hoped Finland’s ratification would take place “before the May 14 elections” in Turkey. Hungary intends to vote on Finland’s annexation on March 27.

On the other hand, the Hungarian parliament may not make a decision on Sweden’s annexation until a later date. “If it really happened, I think Hungary should give us an explanation,” said Sweden’s foreign minister Billström. The country favored Sweden’s accession and did not make any special demands, as Turkey did.