Sweden's entry into NATO realizes the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's great ambition

The move brings Stockholm one step closer to joining the US-led military alliance, and could also help realise NATO's ambitions to dominate the Arctic.

Sweden's Not-So-Easy Journey

The move by the Turkish Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee on December 26 is considered to be a significant step forward for Sweden on its journey to NATO membership. However, this move is only the first step as Sweden’s NATO membership is still to be discussed in the Turkish Parliament’s General Assembly, but Ankara has yet to set a date for the meeting.

Turkey’s previous reaction to Sweden’s NATO membership application was that it was too lenient with militant groups, most notably the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), and harbored people involved in a 2016 coup attempt in Turkey, and that Swedish officials were complicit in anti-Islamic protests, such as the burning of Qurans. Tensions have eased since Sweden applied for NATO membership, with Sweden tightening its anti-terrorism laws and agreeing to cooperate more closely with Turkey on security issues.

Hydropower joins NATO to realize the great ambition of the North and South American Treaty Organization, shape 1 — A session of the Turkish Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee ratifying a decision to allow Sweden to join NATO in Ankara, December 26. Source: BSS/AFP.

However, according to observers, even if the Turkish parliament, where President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's ruling coalition holds a majority of seats, approves Sweden's entry into NATO, Stockholm will still only be able to "set foot" in the military alliance. Because in order to become a new member of this bloc, Sweden must have Hungary's approval vote.

However, Hungary has yet to initiate a vote on Sweden’s membership. Most recently, on October 25, 2023, the Hungarian Parliament rejected a proposal to hold a vote on Sweden’s bid to join NATO. The reason for this rejection, according to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, was that Swedish politicians had lied about the state of Hungary’s democracy.

Previously, in March 2023, Mr. Zoltan Kovacs, spokesman for the Hungarian Prime Minister, said that it was all because Stockholm had had a "hostile attitude" towards Budapest for many years. He noted that Sweden had been trying to use diplomacy and its political influence to cause adverse consequences that harmed Hungary's interests.

Hydropower joins NATO to realize the great ambition of the North and South American Treaty Organization, picture 2 — The Swedish army has begun recruiting after a decade of cuts. Photo: AFP

Sweden’s journey to NATO has not been an easy one. Sweden applied to join NATO in 2022 along with Finland after the conflict in Ukraine broke out, but so far, nothing has come to a final result due to opposition from Türkiye and Hungary.

NATO's Great Ambitions

If Sweden is eager to join the bloc, NATO is probably 9-10 times more eager to join Stockholm. According to the Washington Post, Sweden joining would bring significant military support to NATO because Sweden is a country with a strong navy and can contribute to NATO's weapons production as it is currently producing its own fighter jets. Recently, Sweden itself wanted to show NATO and the world that it can contribute to NATO and not just benefit from its membership through a major military exercise in May 2023.

“We are not seeking to join NATO just to protect ourselves, we have much to contribute. Sweden can help ensure the security of other countries, that is an important signal we are sending today,” Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stressed. According to Swedish Defense Minister Pal Jonson: “The defense law we passed in 2020 proposed a significant increase in the budget for all branches of the armed forces: the army, the navy and the air force. And after the conflict broke out in Ukraine in February 2022, we stepped up our investments.”

Hydropower joins NATO to realize the great ambition of the North and South American Treaty Organization, picture 3 — The Turkish president has unexpectedly supported Sweden's NATO membership. Photo: AP

In addition, since Sweden and Finland cover most of the northern coastline of the Baltic Sea, the admission of Sweden and Finland has placed almost the entire sea under NATO control. Another important detail is that Sweden also owns the island of Gotland, with a circumference of up to 175km right in the middle of the Baltic Sea. According to experts, in the event of a conflict in Northern Europe, Sweden's Gotland island is described as an "unsinkable aircraft carrier" . Along with that, the submarine fleet in the Baltic Sea and hundreds of Jas Gripen fighter jets are also something NATO desires.

In addition, along with Finland, Sweden is a member of the Arctic Council - the organization that oversees this region (Russia, the United States and Canada are also members of the council), so if admitted, Sweden will help NATO increase its presence in the Arctic. Regarding this, according to expert Lipunov, Sweden's accession to the bloc will have an indirect impact on the Arctic, most notably the Barents Sea - the adjacent Arctic, where military activity and tensions will increase.

According to Lipuno, NATO has so far taken a discreet stance on the issue of its presence and activities in the Arctic, with its main activities focused on the adjacent waters of the North Atlantic, which are of vital importance to the organization. However, in the long term, NATO may reconsider its approach, including after its expansion to Sweden.

It is also because of its many advantages that NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg commented that Stockholm's accession to NATO is beneficial to the security of all allies. US President Joe Biden once shared: "I look forward to welcoming Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Sweden as the 32nd NATO ally."

The only thing left to do is wait.

In 2022, Sweden and Finland will begin procedures to join NATO. To officially become members of NATO, the applications of these two countries must be ratified by all member states of the alliance. On April 4, Finland officially joined NATO, becoming the 31st member of the military alliance. However, Turkey and Hungary are two member states that have not yet ratified the Protocol on Sweden's accession to NATO.

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