The Swedish Parliament said "yes" to joining NATO: the law was passed

The country’s government received a “green light” from the parliament to join NATO.

The Swedish Parliament on Wednesday, March 22, adopted amendments to the laws that will allow the country to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as soon as possible. Currently, the country is still waiting for the ratification of its application by Turkey and Hungary.

As reported by the country’s public broadcaster SVT , the parliament supported the relevant laws with 269 votes in favor, 37 deputies voted against, and another 43 were absent from the meeting.

The adopted laws confirm Sweden’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty, as well as a number of legislative changes, which take effect from the date of the government’s decision. Thus, the government receives a “green light” from the parliament for Sweden’s accession to NATO. This could happen when all NATO member states ratify Sweden’s application.

Defense Minister Paul Jönsson has already welcomed the parliament’s decision.

“For the first time in history, Sweden will enter defense cooperation with mandatory defense guarantees and joint defense planning. This will contribute to increased stability and security in our part of Europe, and it is absolutely necessary,” Jönsson wrote on Twitter .

Sweden’s entry into NATO

This Scandinavian country, along with its strategic partner Finland, applied to join NATO after the Russian Federation launched a full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine.

As of March 22, the process of ratifying the applications of Finland and Sweden to join NATO is ongoing – 28 of the 30 members of the Alliance have already completed this process. The decision should be made by Hungary and Turkey.

Turkey previously opposed their accession due to their alleged harboring of Kurds and Turks accused of separatist activities. On March 17, the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced the beginning of the process of approving Finland’s application, which can be approved before the elections.

Hungary began studying both countries’ applications earlier this month. At the same time, the parliament is delaying the review process .

(C)UNIAN 2023