The Swedish government’s top priority is to become a full member of NATO before the defence alliance’s next summit in Vilnius in July, Defence Minister Pål Jonson said on Tuesday ahead of an important meeting with NATO leadership this week.
According to Jonson, Sweden’s accession to NATO will also strengthen ties with the US and its ally Japan, as Sweden is now negotiating a defence cooperation agreement with the US.
“We believe that NATO’s entire northern presence would be strengthened by Sweden becoming a full member of NATO,” he said.
His declaration comes ahead of a meeting between NATO’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and Sweden’s Foreign Minister Tobias Billström.
Last Sunday, after meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Stoltenberg announced that Turkey and Sweden will hold an official, high-level meeting on the Swedish NATO application in mid-June.
“We have agreed that the parties will meet again in the week beginning 12 June,” Stoltenberg said.
Turkey and Hungary are the only NATO countries that have not yet ratified Sweden’s application to the defence alliance. Whether Sweden will be present as a full NATO member at the Alliance’s summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on 11-12 July, remains unclear.
It is not specified where the meeting with Billström will take place, but NATO’s Secretary General is said to “receive” the Swedish Foreign Minister.
(Charles Szumski | EURACTIV.com)
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