Sweden's flag raised in Brussels as country becomes 32nd member of Nato
The Swedish flag has been raised alongside those of its fellow Nato allies for the first time at a ceremony in Brussels.
Sweden joined the alliance last week after a two-year application process and, speaking at the ceremony in Belgium, Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenburg said it was a "great… and historic day".
"We welcome Sweden into Nato at the critical time for our shared security," he said.
"For the first time, 32 flags flying together. They represent 32 nations working for a common purpose – to protect one billion people, prevent war and preserve peace.
"Sweden's membership makes Nato stronger, Sweden safer, and all of us more secure. Sweden's accession shows again that Nato's door remains open. No-one can close it."
Mr Stoltenberg went on: "Every nation has the right to choose its own path, and we all choose the path of freedom and democracy.
"The brave people of Ukraine are fighting for these values as we speak.
"For 75 years, the transatlantic bond between Europe and North America has ensured our freedom and security.
"As a friend and a Nordic neighbor, it gives me great pride that Sweden now joins us in this essential mission."
He added: "Today, as we raise the Swedish flag, we stand together in unity and solidarity, committed to protect and defend each other, all for one and one for all."
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson was at the ceremony and said Sweden is "now an ally among allies after more than 200 years of military non-alignment".
"This is a historic step, but also a very natural step," he said. "We've been preparing for decades and in details for the last two years.
"With this membership, Sweden has come home. Home to the security co-operation of democracies, home to the security co-operation of our good neighbors.
"The Russian brutal full-scale invasion against Ukraine united Sweden behind the conclusion that a full-fledged Nato membership is the only reasonable choice.
"As a strong democracy, Sweden will stand up for the values in the Washington Treaty – freedom, democracy. individual liberty and the rule of law. Values that bind us together.
"Sweden joins Nato because we believe in the importance of collective defense, but we also join Nato to be a security provider from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea."
He added: "Sweden joining Nato is not the end of something. It is a beginning. I look forward to help making the world a safer and freer place together with all of our allies."
Elisabeth Braw, a Swedish defence expert, told Forces News, Sweden has a "well-trained and well-managed military".
Some argued Sweden joining the alliance means more land for Nato to defend, but Ms Braw said that argument only works if "the countries that are joining contribute less than they get out of the alliance".
"Sweden will contribute more," she insisted. "[It] has already said they will be sending a battalion to Latvia, that is more than... most Nato member states are doing at the moment."
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