Minister for Foreign Affairs Tobias Billström in Bucharest for meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs

“It’s important for us to be involved and contribute as a future full NATO member. Sweden and Finland will be more secure as NATO members, just as NATO will be stronger with Sweden and Finland as full members. It’s a win-win situation. I’m looking forward to speaking with my NATO colleagues about our ratification process. It is also valuable that the NATO ministers will have this opportunity to meet the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine,” says Mr Billström.

Mr Billström is taking part in all of the sessions in which current security policy issues are being discussed, and will have the opportunity to meet his counterparts in the NATO circle. Sweden’s only previous participation was in an open session for NATO’s partner countries. Ukraine is being represented as a partner country by Minister of Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba.

Sweden was formally invited to join NATO in June at the 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid. As the Bucharest meeting takes place five months later, 28 of 30 NATO members have now ratified Sweden’s NATO membership, showing the strength of support for the country’s application. This meeting is yet another opportunity for Mr Billström to discuss Sweden’s and Finland’s future NATO membership.