IRIA News

Sweden became the 32nd member of the NATO alliance on March 7, 2024, after completing the final step of its accession process in Washington. The Russian invasion of Ukraine pushed Stockholm to deviate from its decades-long policy of neutrality and join the largest military alliance.

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson formally handed over the country’s accession documents to the U.S. State Department in Washington, as he marked the final step of a months-long process where he gained the approval of all existing members to allow his country to become the alliance’s 32nd member.

After receiving the documents from the Swedish prime minister, the U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Sweden’s accession into the alliance was the result of “nearly two years of tireless diplomacy” by NATO members. The documents are put into a vault at the U.S. State Department, which serves as the official treaty depository for the NATO alliance.

Swedish Prime Minister said that “unity and solidarity” would be Sweden’s “guiding lights”. He thanked U.S. President Joe Biden and Secretary Blinken for their “invaluable efforts and personal commitments during the accession process.”

“I would also like to thank all NATO Allies, who have supported our accession and welcome Sweden as the 32nd member of the Alliance,” Kristersson added.

🇸🇪 Sweden became NATO’s newest member upon depositing its instrument of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty in Washington DC.

With Sweden’s accession, NATO now counts 32 countries among its members

— NATO (@NATO) March 7, 2024

NATO today “is stronger than ever,” U.S. President Joe Biden said as he met with the Swedish Prime Minister following the country’s official accession into the Alliance. “NATO stands more united, determined, and dynamic,” the U.S. leader said, adding that “together with our newest ally Sweden, NATO will continue to stand for freedom and democracy for generations to come.”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also hailed Sweden’s addition to the alliance. “This is a historic day. Sweden will now take its rightful place at NATO’s table, with an equal say in shaping NATO policies and decisions. After over 200 years of non-alignment Sweden now enjoys the protection granted under Article 5, the ultimate guarantee of Allies’ freedom and security.”

It’s official – #Sweden is now the 32nd member of #NATO, taking its rightful place at our table. Sweden’s accession makes NATO stronger, Sweden safer, and the whole Alliance more secure. I look forward to raising their flag at NATO HQ on Monday.

— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) March 7, 2024

He added that “Sweden brings with it capable armed forces and a first-class defense industry. Sweden’s accession makes NATO stronger, Sweden safer and the whole Alliance more secure. Today’s accession demonstrates that NATO’s door remains open and that every nation has the right to choose its path,” Stoltenberg said in a statement released by NATO.

The statement added that Sweden’s flag would be raised alongside those of the other 31 Allies in a ceremony at NATO headquarters in Brussels on March 11, 2024, and simultaneously at NATO commands across Europe and North America.

Sweden, along with the neighboring Scandinavian nation Finland, applied to join the NATO defense alliance soon after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Finland, which shares a 1,300-kilometer border with Russia, officially joined in April 2023 without any hurdles, however, the request was blocked by two NATO member states, Turkey and Hungary.

Turkey withheld approval in a row over what it called Sweden’s support to Kurdish separatists, while Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban accused Sweden of being hostile to it and delayed its approval until last week.

After months of back-and-forth meetings with the two NATO member states and mediation from NATO and the U.S. leadership, Sweden was able to gain all 31 votes from the exiting NATO members that it needed to become an official member of the alliance.

During the document submission at the U.S. State Department, Secretary Blinken recalled Sweden’s 200-year policy of non-alignment which lasted until Russia invaded Ukraine, saying that NATO expansion was not “foreordained” or “foreseeable”.

Kristersson said, “We are humble, but we are also proud. We will live up to all expectations.” He reaffirmed his country’s support for the Alliance by adding “We share burdens, responsibilities, and risks with other allies.”

He also added that the security situation in the region had not been this serious since World War 2, and said that Sweden was joining NATO both to provide and to gain security.