Clapped and ready for NATO Nobody says it out loud but the signs pile up สวีเดนพร้อมเข้า NATO

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Lena Mellin

Clapped and ready for NATO

Nobody says it out loud but the signs pile up

PUBLISHED: LESS THAN 50 MIN THEN

SOCIETY

It's clapped and ready. Sweden and Finland will apply to join NATO.

The decisions are only a few weeks away.

That is the underlying message from Prime Ministers Magdalena Andersson and Sanna Marin.

Just an hour before the Finnish government handed over its analysis of the pros and cons for Finland to join NATO, Sanna Marin and Magdalena Andersson met for a lunch date in Stockholm.

The visit is part of the complicated process that will lead to both Sweden and Finland submitting their respective applications to join NATO.

In Finland, it has so far consisted of talks between the parliamentary parties and an analysis made by the Finnish Government Offices. It was completed on Wednesday and contains, among other things, arguments for joining or staying outside.

Now discussions are taking place within the Finnish parliamentary parties that have not already decided what they think. "Within a few weeks" the country will make a final decision which Prime Minister Sanna Marin (S) hopes for as broad support as possible.

Magdalena Andersson and Sanna Marin. meeting in Stockholm 13,April 

Photo: Paul Wennerholm / TT

In Sweden, representatives of all parliamentary parties sit in a working group that will also analyze the advantages and disadvantages of a membership. It is led by Foreign Minister Ann Linde with the assistance of Minister of Defense Peter Hultqvist.

The analysis group's work must be completed by the end of May. But Magdalena Andersson now says that it does not matter if they are ready earlier than that.

In parallel, work is underway within the Social Democratic Party, which has a key role in this context. M, KD, L and C are for a membership. V and MP are against. SD's party board has been given the go - ahead to change its party's negative attitude.

With their hundred seats in the Riksdag, the Social Democrats can block a decision to apply for membership in NATO. Everyone who wants to can therefore find themselves taking into account that the turnaround (S) takes place can go as fast as they like.

At its congress in November, the Social Democrats decided to stick to their old NATO-negative attitude. But now a "dialogue" is taking place within the party about the consequences of the new world political situation after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Decisions will be made in the last week of May.

The carpet has thus been rolled out for a decision in May in Finland and, probably, a couple of weeks later in Sweden.

And how do I know that the neighboring countries Finland and Sweden will apply for membership even though the prime ministers do not say so? Of course I can not. But I can interpret the signs.

Both Magdalena Andersson and Sanna Marin, who talk on the phone practically daily, emphasized during their press conference that the world changed on February 24 when Russia booted into Ukraine.

Can you stand still if the world changes? No. You have to adapt. In this case, change their security policy.

Are there alternatives to NATO if you want to quickly strengthen the Swedish, or Finnish, security policy situation? No, not realistic.

Sanna Marin also pointed out that NATO is not just about military cooperation. But also a political, value-based one.

Among other things, it has been expressed that Ann Linde and her Finnish colleague Pekka Haavisto (MP) have been participating in NATO's foreign minister meetings since the crisis became acute earlier this year.

Theoretically, Sweden can of course refrain from applying for membership in NATO without Finland doing so. But then we would lie like a long, unprotected loaf surrounded by NATO countries.

It is not an attractive option.

Sweden and Finland also have very extensive defense co-operation, which includes defense planning, for example. According to joint assessors, it would not survive if one of the countries joined NATO and the other stayed out.

+ and - with NATO membership

+ Defense guarantee. According to Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, all other members must stand up and defend if a member is attacked.

- The defense guarantee. Swedish soldiers may die in the defense of another country.

- Nuclear power. NATO countries have nuclear weapons at their disposal.

- End of freedom of alliance. It is claimed to have served Sweden exceptionally well.