The Swedish flag is raised at NATO headquarters

Sweden’s flag was ceremonially raised at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Monday, March 11. The ceremony took place in the presence of Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Swedish Crown Princess Victoria.

Stoltenberg called today historic.

“We welcome Sweden’s entry into NATO at a critical time for our common security. In a moment we will raise the Swedish flag here at NATO headquarters and throughout the Alliance. a common goal. To protect a billion people, avoid war and spend more than 2% of GDP on defense,” said the general secretary.

According to Stoltenberg, Sweden’s entry shows that NATO’s doors remain open.

“No one can shut them down. Everyone has the right to choose their own path. And we all choose the path of freedom and democracy. As we speak, the brave people of Ukraine are fighting for these values,” he added.

In turn, Kristersson said that Sweden “has come home” and is now “an ally among allies.”

“After more than 200 years of neutrality, this is a historic step, but also a very natural step. We have been preparing for decades and in detail for the past two years. With this membership, Sweden has come home in democratic security cooperation,” he said.

We remind you that on March 7, Sweden completed the procedure for joining NATO. The corresponding protocol is made public. This became possible after the last – Hungarian – instrument of ratification for the accession of Sweden arrived in Washington.