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STOCKHOLM—Swedish lawmakers formally backed an agreement Wednesday that allows the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to more easily operate on Swedish territory during training or in the event of a conflict or other crisis.
The government’s proposal to sign what is known as a host nation support agreement with NATO was backed by a broad majority of lawmakers. A move by the opposition Left Party to have the agreement sent for further review was voted down by 291-to-21. The agreement was struck with NATO in 2014, but not ratified.
The outcome was in line with expectations.
The move is a sign of how Sweden, long a scrupulously alliance-free nation in Europe’s north, has edged closer to NATO as nearby Russia has ramped up its military capability over recent years.
Speaking in parliament, Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist noted that the security situation in Europe had worsened and Russia’s actions since 2008 in Georgia and Ukraine had shown its willingness to use military means to achieve its goals.
He said Sweden’s government view remains that the country should remain outside NATO and the commitments to mutual defense membership entails adding that Sweden’s aim of maintaining stability in the Nordic region wouldn't be well served by a shift in its security stance.
“What we are doing is building our capacity and deepening our relationship with our partners,” he said. “The host nation agreement is a jigsaw piece in that.”
The agreement aims to streamline administration to help Sweden prepare for training exercises with NATO and ease the provision or receipt of support in the event of a crisis or conflict.
The opposition Left Party and Sweden Democrats spoke against the agreement during the debate.
Sweden Democrat spokesman, Roger Richtoff, said moving closer to NATO risked putting the goals of the alliance ahead of Sweden’s own aims.
Finland, which sits between Sweden and Russia, has a similar host nation agreement with NATO while also having no plans to join the alliance. The other Nordic countries, Iceland, Denmark and Norway, are all NATO members.
A range of incidents close to Sweden over recent years have set nerves jangling here. On two occasions commercial airliners leaving Copenhagen airport have come close to hitting Russian military planes with their transponders switched off in international airspace to the south of Sweden.
A transponder is a communication device that planes use to transmit their location.
In September 2014, the Swedish foreign ministry called in the Russian ambassador here to lodge a protest following a violation of Swedish airspace by two Russian warplanes.
NATO membership seems to be gradually gaining popularity among Swedes. A poll by Gothenburg University, published earlier this month in Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter, showed 38% of respondents thought it a good idea for Sweden to apply for membership compared with 31% in 2014. The share who thought it a bad idea was 31% last year from 37% in 2014, the survey showed.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/sweden-ratifies-nato-cooperation-agreement-1464195502
The government’s proposal to sign what is known as a host nation support agreement with NATO was backed by a broad majority of lawmakers. A move by the opposition Left Party to have the agreement sent for further review was voted down by 291-to-21. The agreement was struck with NATO in 2014, but not ratified.
The outcome was in line with expectations.
The move is a sign of how Sweden, long a scrupulously alliance-free nation in Europe’s north, has edged closer to NATO as nearby Russia has ramped up its military capability over recent years.
Speaking in parliament, Defense Minister Peter Hultqvist noted that the security situation in Europe had worsened and Russia’s actions since 2008 in Georgia and Ukraine had shown its willingness to use military means to achieve its goals.
He said Sweden’s government view remains that the country should remain outside NATO and the commitments to mutual defense membership entails adding that Sweden’s aim of maintaining stability in the Nordic region wouldn't be well served by a shift in its security stance.
“What we are doing is building our capacity and deepening our relationship with our partners,” he said. “The host nation agreement is a jigsaw piece in that.”
The agreement aims to streamline administration to help Sweden prepare for training exercises with NATO and ease the provision or receipt of support in the event of a crisis or conflict.
The opposition Left Party and Sweden Democrats spoke against the agreement during the debate.
Sweden Democrat spokesman, Roger Richtoff, said moving closer to NATO risked putting the goals of the alliance ahead of Sweden’s own aims.
Finland, which sits between Sweden and Russia, has a similar host nation agreement with NATO while also having no plans to join the alliance. The other Nordic countries, Iceland, Denmark and Norway, are all NATO members.
A range of incidents close to Sweden over recent years have set nerves jangling here. On two occasions commercial airliners leaving Copenhagen airport have come close to hitting Russian military planes with their transponders switched off in international airspace to the south of Sweden.
A transponder is a communication device that planes use to transmit their location.
In September 2014, the Swedish foreign ministry called in the Russian ambassador here to lodge a protest following a violation of Swedish airspace by two Russian warplanes.
NATO membership seems to be gradually gaining popularity among Swedes. A poll by Gothenburg University, published earlier this month in Swedish daily Dagens Nyheter, showed 38% of respondents thought it a good idea for Sweden to apply for membership compared with 31% in 2014. The share who thought it a bad idea was 31% last year from 37% in 2014, the survey showed.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/sweden-ratifies-nato-cooperation-agreement-1464195502
