"It's official: Sweden is now the 32nd member of NATO, taking its rightful place at our table. Sweden's membership makes NATO stronger, Sweden safer and the entire Alliance safer. I don't see the It's time to raise their flag at Headquarters next Monday."
The Secretary General of the Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, writes this on X.
“After more than 200 years of non-alignment, Sweden now enjoys the protection afforded by Article 5, the ultimate guarantee for the freedom and security of allies. Sweden brings with it capable armed forces and a world-class defense industry order. Today's membership demonstrates that NATO's door remains open and that every nation has the right to choose its own path."
Stoltenberg added in a statement.
For his part, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, alongside the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, said that "today is a historic day. Sweden is now a member of NATO".
"Today is a victory for freedom. This for us is not the end of something, but the beginning", he added.
Kristersson was in Washington today together with his Foreign Minister, Tobias Billström, for the meeting at the State Secretariat which marks the last symbolic step to complete Sweden's membership of NATO, following a procedure that lasted almost two years.
The Swedish prime minister will also attend, at the invitation of the US government, the traditional speech on the State of the Union, which will be delivered by President Joe Biden.
Blinken, in turn, welcomed "Sweden to NATO, as the 32nd member country".
The country's entry into the Atlantic Alliance shows Russia's "strategic debacle", added the head of US diplomacy, underlining that "Ukraine is fighting for its freedom, and for European freedom"
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