The first serious "NO"

Sweden's ruling party is divided on the issue of joining NATO, as the women's faction of the Social Democrats demanded that Sweden remain militarily neutral.

Izvor: Sputnik

Friday, 06.05.2022.

11:11

The first serious
EPA-EFE/Toms Kalnins

The first serious "NO"

Minister for Climate and the Environment Annika Strandhäll and the president of the federal board of the women's faction of the Social Democrats, told the newspaper "Svenska dagbladet" (The Swedish Daily News) that the women's faction opposes joining NATO. That faction has a "long history of fighting for issues related to peace, disarmament, detente and non-entry into military alliances".

"The Federal Board has decided to stick to the position adopted at the congress, that Sweden should be militarily neutral and outside NATO," Strandhäll said.

This is the first serious political opposition to the proposal for Sweden to apply for NATO membership and comes immediately before the party's decision on the country's security policy, which should be made on May 13.

The coalition government announced that it would make a similar decision by May 24, at the request of the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Jimmie Åkesson, the leader of the Swedish Democrats, the second largest opposition party in the Swedish parliament, the Riksdag (the highest decision-making assembly in Sweden), recently also said that the right-wing party would support NATO membership if neighboring Finland applied for membership. Åkesson has long advocated a position on Swedish military neutrality, like most Swedes, but that position changed during the crisis in Ukraine, RT writes.

A survey conducted by the Novus agency last month shows that 51 percent of Swedes are in favor of joining NATO, which is the first time that the majority of the country's citizens are in favor of ending military neutrality.

Sweden has been a military neutral country for two centuries and has not participated in the war since 1814.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg promised that the request of Sweden and Finland to join the Alliance will be considered under an accelerated procedure.

Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said earlier that a referendum on joining NATO would not be needed if the Riksdag approves the application for membership, Sputnik reported.

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