On Monday, March 11th, the Swedish flag was raised for the first time alongside their new allys in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
Sweden’s flag was lifted in a ceremony at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, alongside the 31 others in the alliance, in a formal declaration of support and welcome to the newest member. Standing beside Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated, “Sweden’s accession shows again that NATO’s door remains open. No one can close it. Every nation has the right to choose its own path, and we all choose the path of freedom and democracy.”
NATO will mark its 75th anniversary this year, having added two new members, Sweden and Finland, in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Sweden officially joined the alliance after paperwork was filed in Washington D.C. on March 7th.
