Sweden did not accept the fast track into NATO due to opposition from the country's ruling party. Those against it cite they want to keep neutral, but the Western military alliance wants is not concerned about it. If the country decides to join NATO, Iceland will be used as a staging point for the West to isolate Russia.
Sweden Divided on Joining NATO
The Women's faction of Social Democrats is the part of Sweden's ruling political party that is the source of hesitation. If not for them, dropping neutrality would be a successful introduction to the military bloc, reported RT.
The country's climate and environment minister, Annika Strandhall, told the Stockholm tabloid Svenska Dagbladet that the party's women's wing is against joining NATO. She is the federal board head of the women's wing, and the group has a long history and battle in areas of peace, disarmament, détente, and military freedom of alliance.
Strandhall's remarks are the first major political rebuttal to a proposal for Sweden to apply for NATO membership. They come only days before an evaluation of the country's security policy is due on May 13, citing Al Jazeera.
Following the release of a position paper by the foreign ministry, the coalition administration is expected to decide on the subject by May 24.
Another major person in the Riksdag, Swedish Democrats leader Jimmie Akesson, stated last month that if neighboring Finland asks for NATO membership, he will recommend that his right-wing opposition coalition lobby for entry, noted Asian Times.
Akesson, like most in Sweden, has vigorously opposed giving up Sweden's military independence to NATO, but public opinion began to shift drastically after Moscow commenced its military attack on Ukraine last February.
Swedes Favor Joining West
A Novus poll done last month showed that 51% of Swedes favored joining the Western military bloc, representing the first time the pollster found majority approval for it.
Similarly, a survey taken by the Finnish news site YLE revealed that a record-high 62 percent of Finns favored NATO membership, notwithstanding past findings showing that the majority of people object to joining the organization.
Sweden has been a militarily neutral country for over two centuries, narrowly avoiding hostilities since 1814. Ever since the end of World War II, Finland has retained its neutrality.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has promised to hasten the approval process for Sweden and Finland should they ask to join the alliance.
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson indicated last month that if the Riksdag accepts the bid, a public referendum would not be necessary, mentioned Forbes.
Some foreign leaders, including Chinese officials and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, have claimed that NATO caused the Ukraine issue by violating promises made after the War Had ended in 1991 not to advance eastward.
Last Tuesday, Pope Francis warned that the barking of NATO at Russia's door could have motivated Moscow to launch its offensive.
The pontiff argued in an interview released on Tuesday by the Italian daily Corriere Della Sera that the barking of NATO at Russia's door could have motivated the Kremlin to unleash the military campaign on February 24, remarked Fars News.
Sweden joining NATO has hit a snag after cautioning that joining the US-led military might override their nation's own military autonomy.
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