The Swedish flag was raised at NATO headquarters on Monday, marking the Scandinavian country’s accession as the 32nd member of the military alliance, two years after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Swedish PM Ulf Kristersson and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg were present as officials raised the flag with Sweden’s national colors among other flags at NATO’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
“We are humble, but we are also proud. We know the expectations for Sweden are high, but we also have high expectations for ourselves,” Kristersson said before the ceremony. “We will share burdens, responsibilities, and risks with our allies.”
NATO tweeted:
Sweden abandoned its post-WWII nonalignment when it formally joined NATO on Thursday. Its neighbor Finland joined in April 2023 in another historic move, ending years of military neutrality.
Finland’s defense ministry welcomed “our brothers and sisters in arms” on X, formerly Twitter, saying “now we stand at the beginning of a new era. Together and with other allies in peace, in crisis, and beyond.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invadeUkraine in February 2022 caused the public opinion to change in both Finland and Sweden, and within three months they had applied to join the world’s largest security organization.
“We are humble, but we are also proud. We know the expectations for Sweden are high, but we also have high expectations for ourselves,” Kristersson said before the ceremony. “We will share burdens, responsibilities, and risks with our allies.”
NATO tweeted:
The 🇸🇪 Swedish flag was raised at NATO Headquarters for the first time in a ceremony to mark the country’s membership of the Alliance
— NATO (@NATO) March 11, 2024
Sweden abandoned its post-WWII nonalignment when it formally joined NATO on Thursday. Its neighbor Finland joined in April 2023 in another historic move, ending years of military neutrality.
Finland’s defense ministry welcomed “our brothers and sisters in arms” on X, formerly Twitter, saying “now we stand at the beginning of a new era. Together and with other allies in peace, in crisis, and beyond.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to invadeUkraine in February 2022 caused the public opinion to change in both Finland and Sweden, and within three months they had applied to join the world’s largest security organization.
Source: Reuters
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