Sweden’s governing party accepts possible NATO membership on 15 May: Reports
In the latest development, Sweden’s ruling Social Democratic Party (SDP) stated on Monday that their view on whether the country should apply for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) would be announced on 15 May. The statement came more than two months after Russia launched a full-fledged war on February 24, prompting Sweden and Finland to re-evaluate their security policies. “Our message is that on May 15, there will be a decision for the party leadership to take a position on,” SDP’s secretary Tobias Baudin told SR radio. Al Jazeera reported.
The Swedish governing party is expected to hold at least three digital party meetings this week to conduct a survey of members on NATO membership ahead of the government’s final decision this weekend. “I want it on the table before I make a decision,” said Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson in a program on Swedish TV. According to information, Sweden can make a formal application to join NATO during the alliance’s summit in Spain in June. the application is expected to be faster, although it may take a year to get signatures from all 30 alliance members.
57% of Sweden’s population approves of the country’s membership in NATO: Survey
The latest survey conducted by the Demoskop Institute indicated that Sweden’s membership in the military alliance now has the support of the country’s 57% of the population, up from 51% in March. The number of people who are against has decreased from 24% in March to 21% now. According to the latest survey, 22% of the population is insecure compared to 25% in March, NEXT reported. At the same time, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has stated that if Finland and Sweden choose to join the military alliance with 30 members, they will be “welcomed with open arms”. He made this statement during his speech at the NATO Youth Summit on 28 April.
About NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a 30-member intergovernmental military alliance. The organization was formed in the aftermath of World War II to implement the North Atlantic Treaty, which was signed on April 4, 1949. The Alliance is a collective security arrangement in which NATO’s independent member states commit to defending each other in the event of an external attack. Since the end of the Cold War, the alliance has been involved in military operations in the Balkans, the Middle East, South Asia and Africa, among others.