Sweden and the US have started negotiations on a defense cooperation agreement as the Nordic nation prepares to become a fully fledged member of NATO along with its neighbor Finland.
(Bloomberg) — Sweden and the US have started negotiations on a defense cooperation agreement as the Nordic nation prepares to become a fully fledged member of NATO along with its neighbor Finland.
The agreement, which is is expected to require constitutional changes, will provide a framework for US-Swedish defense cooperation and sets the legal conditions for US military presence in the Nordic nation, according to a statement from the Swedish government.
Sweden, which had stayed outside military alliances for more than 200 years, applied for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in May together with Finland. The two are awaiting the ratification of Hungary and Turkey to become members of the defense bloc. Turkey has objected to the Nordic nations’ joining, arguing that they need to do more to combat terrorism, including extraditing people who Turkey accuses of terrorist links.
The DCA negotiations with the US are a “natural development” of longstanding cooperation within security and defense, the government in Stockholm said, adding that they “clearly signal continued US commitment to security in Europe and in our local region.”
The US has similar agreements with several countries around the world. Finland’s government announced in September an intention to open similar talks, expecting them to take as long as two years. Both Nordic nations signed statements of intent with the US on defense cooperation already in 2016.
–With assistance from Ott Ummelas.
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