Sweden officially joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Thursday, becoming its 32nd member.
NATO announced the accession in a statement released Thursday.
“This is a historic day,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. “After over 200 years of non-alignment Sweden now enjoys the protection granted under Article 5, the ultimate guarantee of Allies’ freedom and security.”
Article 5 of NATO’s treaty means all members must come to the aid of an ally whose territory or security is under threat. It has only been activated once, by the U.S. after the September 11, 2001, attacks.
Stoltenberg said Sweden will now have an equal say in shaping NATO’s policies and decisions, and the country brings to the alliance a “capable” armed force and “first-class” defence industry. Sweden’s contributions will include cutting-edge submarines.
“Today’s accession demonstrates that NATO’s door remains open and that every nation has the right to choose its own path,” Stoltenberg said.
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In a statement on X, Sweden’s Prime Minister, Ulf Kristersson, thanked all of the allies for welcoming the country into the alliance.
“We will strive for unity, solidarity and burden-sharing, and will fully adhere to the Washington Treaty values: freedom, democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. Stronger together,” he said.
Kristersson handed over the final documentation needed for the addition to be official in Washington on Thursday.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, poses for a photo with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson holding Sweden’s NATO Instruments of Accession in the Benjamin Franklin Room at the State Department, Thursday, March 7, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jess Rapfogel).
Sweden’s addition comes over two years since Russia invaded Ukraine, an event that caused the country to rethink its national security.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Thursday that “everything changed” after the invasion.
“Swedes realized something very profound: that if Putin was willing to try to erase one neighbour from the map, then he might well not stop there,” he said as he received Sweden’s documents.
Finland is another recent entry into NATO that joined on April 4, 2023. Both Finland and Sweden share a 1,340 km border with Russia.
Sweden’s entry into the alliance comes as tensions remain between members.
Former President Donald Trump, the likely Republican candidate in the 2024 election, has threatened to take the U.S. out of the alliance and has encouraged others to attack allies if they have not contributed enough.
Canada has fallen behind the two per cent of GDP commitment to defence the alliance requests, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has admitted that that goal may not be met soon.
— with files from Reuters and the Associated Press.
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