The Swedish Parliament approved the law on accession to NATO
Today, the Swedish MPs voted with a large majority for Sweden to join NATO, which represents a historic change in the defense policy of non-alignment.
With 269 votes "for" and 37 "against", the 349-member Riksdagen, or Parliament, approved Sweden's accession to NATO. 43 deputies did not attend the parliamentary session. It was the last necessary domestic hurdle for the country to become part of the 30-member Western military alliance.
Six of the eight parties represented in the parliament are in favor of NATO membership, and the vote that followed almost seven hours of debate was considered a formality.
"NATO membership is the best way to protect Sweden's security," Foreign Minister Tobias Billström said during the discussions. He called it a "historic event" and "one of the most important security policy decisions ever for our country."
However, Sweden can join NATO only after its application is unanimously accepted by the current members. All did, except Hungary and Turkey.
Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership last year amid heightened security concerns after Russia invaded Ukraine, but were blocked by Turkey, which says Stockholm has been a haven for members of terrorist groups.
Ankara has recently indicated that it can only approve Finland's entry into NATO.