Freedom from military alliances contributes to stability and security in Northern Europe. Sweden will not join NATO, said Foreign Minister Ann Linde, presenting a foreign policy declaration in parliament. Read more about this document in the material. The Swedish authorities do not plan to apply for NATO membership, follows from the 2022 foreign policy declaration. Its text was published on Wednesday, February 16, by the government of the country. The document was presented in Parliament by Foreign Minister Ann Linde.

“The government does not intend to apply for NATO membership. The Swedish security policy remains unchanged. Freedom from military alliances serves us well and promotes stability and security in Northern Europe,” she said.

The corresponding course, as she pointed out, implies "an active, broad and responsible security and foreign policy, combined with the deepening of defense cooperation, including transatlantic."

At the same time, the so-called NATO option is not mentioned in the declaration. In December 2020, the parliamentary majority (Moderate Coalition Party, Swedish Democrats, Christian Democrats, Center Party and Liberals) voted for Sweden, like Finland, to announce the existence of this option. He suggests that Sweden retains the option to apply for NATO membership.

The declaration also provides an assessment of the security policy - it includes the wording that "an armed attack on Sweden cannot be ruled out."

The Cabinet of Ministers of the country made this assessment in its 2020 Common Defense Bill, which was based on an analysis carried out by a relevant committee.

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“NATO Option”

Sweden and Finland have been cooperating with the North Atlantic Alliance since 1994 in the status of partner states. Both Helsinki and Stockholm have previously opposed Russian security initiatives demanding a legal end to bloc expansion.

In particular, Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin said in early January that "now that military cooperation with the EU is intensifying," the republic's authorities would like to have the option of obtaining NATO membership.

The fact that Finland “retains the opportunity to apply for membership in NATO if it decides to do so itself,” President Sauli Niinistö also indicated in his New Year's address, specifying that so far Finland is not going to change its foreign policy course.

Swedish Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist spoke in a similar vein, stressing that the kingdom is not going to join the alliance "not now or later", but should have freedom of decision.

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson also pointed out that the government does not yet need to join NATO, but referred to the parliamentary majority, which supports deepening cooperation with the alliance.

In turn, the NATO leadership and the White House declare that they are ready to receive Finland and Sweden within "one night".

Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted that both of these countries “comply with NATO standards in almost all areas, they have very well organized and managed defense and security institutions” and they are “very close to NATO in many aspects.”

According to US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, both Stockholm and Helsinki "have long established stable democracies, which seriously distinguishes them from other candidates who are only in a state of transition to a democratic system and deal with economic instability and corruption."

Moscow indicates that they respect the sovereignty and choice of Finland and Sweden, which have remained neutral since the Cold War.

Both countries maintain a non-bloc military status and are developing their own defense structures. “Despite formal independence from NATO, both countries are actively cooperating with the alliance, conducting joint exercises and operations, and certainly counting on its assistance in the event of a military conflict,” the TASS article notes.

According to a poll requested by Helsingin Sanomat, more than 40% of Finnish residents oppose joining the bloc. 28% of respondents were in favor of joining NATO, and this is a record high since 2002, the newspaper notes. A similar poll in Sweden showed that 46% of the country's inhabitants want to join NATO.

How NATO is expanding

NATO is a military alliance whose organization constitutes a system of collective defense. The entry of new members into the alliance is governed by Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which proclaims that every European state that is able to develop the principles of the treaty and contribute to security in the North Atlantic region may be invited to join NATO. Countries wishing to join must meet certain requirements and go through a multi-step process that includes political dialogue and military integration.The North Atlantic Alliance has gone through seven stages of expansion. The first, second and third expansions took place before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Greece and Turkey joined NATO in 1952, Germany in 1955, and Spain in 1982.

In 1990, with the unification of Germany, the territory of the alliance expanded into the lands of the former GDR. During the unification negotiations, an agreement was reached that foreign (non-German) troops would not be deployed on the territory of the former GDR, and, presumably, a verbal agreement on the non-expansion of NATO to the east. The existence of such an agreement (and its subsequent violation by NATO) is declared by the Russian leadership, but rejected by the alliance.

In 1994, a decision was made to admit the former Soviet republics and member states of the Warsaw Pact to NATO. Bill Clinton, who was then President of the United States, said in January 1994 that such a decision could become a "self-fulfilling prophecy" and lead to the "alienation" of Russia.

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