U.S. Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin has asserted that it is important that Turkey makes its decision to allow Sweden to join NATO “sooner versus later,” saying he “feels confident” that it will happen before the alliance summit in July.
Austin declined, however, to say whether a recent U.S. deal to provide fighter jet upgrades to Turkey will provide enough incentive for Ankara to finally vote.
Swedish Defense Minister, Pål Jonson stated that he is hopeful Sweden will gain admittance by summer, and his country feels more secure with the additional U.S. military exercises and involvement with his nation.
“We look forward to continuing to advocate for your swift admission to NATO, and we’ll work hard to get that done before the summit,” Austin assured. The NATO summit will be in Lithuania in early July.
Sweden’s bid to join NATO remains stalled by opposition from Turkey and Hungary, even weeks after both nations finally approved Finland’s application. The Turkish government has accused Sweden of being too soft on groups that it deems to be terror organizations. Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan has stressed that Ankara needs further assurances before it will give its final approval.
Sweden and neighboring Finland jointly applied for NATO membership in May 2022, abandoning decades of non-alignment in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Finland formally joined the alliance on April 5, 2023, just days after Turkey and Hungary finally voted to ratify Helsinky’s application.
Austin and Jonson spoke to reporters near the docks at the Musko Naval Base.
Austin disclosed that his visit comes at a crucial time for European security, and he urged Turkey and NATO to act soon to approve Sweden’s membership in NATO. He added that it will mean a stronger alliance and a more secure Europe, lauding Sweden’s troops and their capabilities, particularly in the Baltic Sea region.
“It’s important to all of us that they make the decision sooner versus later,” Austin said.
Swedish Defense Minister Expresses Gratitude For America’s Continuing Military Support
In remarks at the start of their meeting, Jonson thanked Austin for America’s continuing military support “during this transition time into NATO,” which he said has reassured Sweden and helped make the country more secure.
Austin’s visit to Sweden is the first by a U.S. Defense Chief since 2000, by then-Secretary William Cohen. While the U.S. military has long trained with Sweden, it has not been a frequent stop for U.S. defense leaders, since they are more likely to visit with NATO allies, an alliance Sweden has long resisted joining.
Austin got a comprehensive look at Sweden’s military, including a tour of the Musko cave complex and its maritime operations centers, followed by an hour-long ride to Berga Naval Base, aboard one of the Navy’s Visby-class Corvette ships.
While Sweden has long worked with NATO and is considered a “partner country,” it does not enjoy the full protections afforded a member nation, most importantly Article 5 protection. That provision of the treaty states that if one member of the alliance is attacked in Europe or North America, it is considered an attack on all.
The only time the Article 5 mutual defense provision has been invoked was in support of the U.S. after the September 11, 2001, attacks on New York and Washington.
However, in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a number of European nations feared they could be attacked next, triggering the NATO applications of Finland and Sweden.
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