The wait is over: Sweden is now part of NATO, becoming its 32nd member state. The Scandinavian country, faithful to the line of neutrality for many decades, presented its candidacy for the Atlantic Alliance the day after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in May 2022. Unlike that of Finland, which began in parallel , the accession process became particularly difficult in the following months, mainly due to opposition from Turkey. Recep Tayyip Erdogan's regime wanted, in exchange for authorization (one can only join NATO with the consent of all member countries), very concrete rollbacks from Stockholm on the protection granted to Kurdish militants of the PKK, which Turkey considers a terrorist faction. . Once the concessions had been obtained on this ground, Ankara then relaunched by asking Sweden for confirmation of an American arms order worth $20 billion in exchange for a yes vote. He has also contested this victory in recent months, after which Erdogan finally agreed, last October, to sign his yes. However, formal ratification by the Ankara Parliament came even later, at the end of January this year.
The green light from Hungary and the ceremony in Washington
There remained a final obstacle, represented by Viktor Orbán's Hungary, which then remained the only country not yet to have ratified its green light for membership. A choice linked to unclear reasons, perhaps linked to Budapest's proximity to Vladimir Putin's Russia. Under enormous pressure from its partners, starting with the United States, the Hungarian government quickly let go and also gave its agreement in February. This is why today the ceremony of depositing the official documents, the so-called “instrument of accession” of Sweden, is taking place in Washington. “Patience is the virtue of the strong, what better example,” Antony Blinken congratulated Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, before emphasizing to what extent the official entry of the Scandinavian country into NATO demonstrates “the strategic debacle of Russia “. “This is not the end for us, but the beginning of something,” Kristersson repeated, emphasizing the historical significance of the achieved goal: “It is a victory for freedom.”
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