Page 19 - RusRPTApr24

2.5 Sweden joins Nato
After nearly two years of delays, Sweden became the 32nd member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Its official accession took place on March 7, when the Swedish government approved NATO’s invitation and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson filed the relevant documents with Washington.
“This is a historic day,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. “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 own path.”
Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO together in May 2022, shortly after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The two historically neutral states were prompted by Russian aggression to seek membership in the mutual defense alliance. Finland’s application was ratified relatively quickly, becoming NATO’s 31st member less than a year later, in April 2023. Sweden’s accession, however, was delayed by NATO countries Turkey and Hungary. Turkey objected to Sweden’s lax treatment of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Turkey considers a terrorist group. In response, Stockholm passed new anti-terrorism laws and also relaxed policies related to arms exports to Turkey. The Turkish
19 RUSSIA Country Report April 2024 www.intellinews.com