Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson to NATO Headquarters on Thursday (20 October 2022) for discussions on Sweden and Finland’s applications to join the Alliance.
“Joining the Alliance will make you safer, NATO stronger and the Euro-Atlantic area more secure,” said the Secretary General. He noted that the accession process for Sweden and Finland has been the fastest in NATO’s modern history and nearly all Allies have completed their national procedures. He underlined that many Allies have given security assurances to both countries and NATO has increased its presence in the Baltic Sea. “It is inconceivable that Allies would not act, should Sweden and Finland come under any form of pressure,” he said.