The flag of Sweden, which has become the 32nd member of NATO, was raised on Monday at the organization’s headquarters, the epilogue of a long journey for this Scandinavian country and proof, for the head of the Alliance, of the failure of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“NATO is bigger and stronger,” declared its Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, shortly before the sending of the Swedish flag, which now flies alongside the 31 others, deployed in a large circle in front of the imposing NATO building. Alliance in Brussels.
Under pouring rain, and in the presence of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, two Swedish army officers raised the yellow and blue flag to the sound of the country’s anthem.
The Swedish flag was flown between that of Spain and Turkey, in this circle which follows the alphabetical order of the member countries, from Albania to the United States. Ironically, Ankara delayed the ratification of this accession for more than 20 months.
“Sweden’s accession shows once again that NATO’s door is open. Each nation has the right to choose its own path,” recalled Mr. Stoltenberg, while Russia increased its warnings before the entry of Sweden, but also of Finland.
“When President Putin launched his invasion [de l’Ukraine] two years ago, he wanted less NATO and more control over his neighbors. He wanted to destroy Ukraine as a sovereign state. But he failed,” he said.
Sweden chose, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, to renounce two centuries of neutrality and military non-alignment, to join the main military alliance in the world.
The Swedish Prime Minister handed over to American Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday the official documents setting in stone his country’s membership in the Atlantic Alliance. The United States is the depositary of the North Atlantic Treaty, signed in the American capital in 1949.
“Surrender is not peace”
Mr. Stoltenberg insisted at length on the necessary continued support for Ukraine.
“President Putin started this war and could end it today. But Ukraine does not have this option. Surrender is not peace,” he said.
“We must continue to strengthen Ukraine to show President Putin that he will not get what he wants on the battlefield and that he must come to the negotiating table,” he said. he continued, while reaffirming that Kiev was “closer than ever” to NATO membership.
With the accession of Sweden, after that of Finland, all the states bordering the Baltic Sea, with the exception of Russia, are now members of the Atlantic Alliance.
Sweden, which brings efficient armed forces and a cutting-edge defense industry, now benefits from the protection of Article 5, “the total guarantee for the freedom and security” of its members.
Pillar of the Alliance, the latter provides for the obligation for each country of the Alliance to come to aid in the event of an attack against one or more of its members. It has only been used once, with regard to the United States, after the attacks of September 11, 2001.
Finland had obtained its accession to the Alliance in April, but Sweden’s accession process was punctuated by negotiations with Turkey, which accused the Scandinavian country of leniency towards Kurdish activists taking refuge on its soil, considered by some as “terrorists” by Ankara.
Sweden also had to deal with the reluctance of the Hungarian Prime Minister. Viktor Orban had certainly given his agreement in principle a long time ago but, before completing the process, he demanded “respect” from Stockholm, after years of “denigration” of his policies.