International defence cooperation

On 19 November 2024, Sweden’s Minister for Defence Pål Jonson and Lithuania’s Minister of Defence Laurynas Kačiūnas signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) on strengthened defence cooperation between Sweden and Lithuania.

On 20–21 November, Minister for Defence Pål Jonson will take part in a meeting in Copenhagen with other defence ministers from the Nordic and Baltic countries.

On 19 November, Sweden’s Minister for Defence Pål Jonson met with Lithuania’s Minister of Defence Laurynas Kačiūnas. During the meeting, a Letter of Intent (LOI) on strengthened defence cooperation between Sweden and Lithuania was signed.

On 19 November, the defence segment of the EU Foreign Affairs Council will convene. The meeting will focus on continued EU support to Ukraine and strengthening EU defence readiness and preparedness. Minister for Defence Pål Jonson will represent Sweden at the meeting.

On 9 November 2024, Sweden’s Minister for Defence Pål Jonson and Brazil’s Minister of Defense José Múcio signed a letter of intent on deepened aerospace cooperation.

Brazil is planning to extend the contract on Jas 39 Gripen fighter aircraft from Sweden, while Sweden is ready to begin negotiations to purchase Embraer C-390 transport aircraft from Brazil. Sweden’s Minister for Defence Pål Jonson and Brazil’s Minister of Defense José Múcio signed a letter of intent to this effect today, 9 November.

Today, 9 November, Swedish Minister for Defence Pål Jonson is in Natal for a meeting with Brazilian Minister of Defense José Múcio. In connection with the meeting, Mr Jonson will also visit the major operational air exercise Cruzex 2024.

On 16 October 2024, Minister for Defence Pål Jonson and Hungarian Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky signed a Letter of Intent (LOI). This LOI is a bilateral declaration on expanded defence cooperation between Sweden and Hungary.

On 28–29 October, Minister for Defence Pål Jonson will visit Qatar for a bilateral meeting with Minister of Defence and State Affairs HE Dr Khalid bin Mohamed Al Attiyah in Doha. This visit will take place as follow-up to the visit of the Amir of the State of Qatar, HH Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, to Stockholm in September.

Minister for Defence Pål Jonson and Hungarian Minister of Defence Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky sign Letter of Intent.

On 17–18 October, Sweden’s Minister for Defence Pål Jonson will meet with his colleagues from other NATO member countries in Brussels. Part of the meeting will also be attended for the first time by the defence ministers of Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand – NATO’s partners known as the Indo-Pacific Four (IP4).

On Friday 4 October, Minister for Defence Pål Jonson and Minister for Foreign Affairs Maria Malmer Stenergard will receive Latvia’s Minister for Defence Andris Sprūds at the South Skåne Regiment (P 7) in Revingehed.

Security in the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions is becoming increasingly interlinked. The Government is now presenting a defence policy direction for cooperation between Sweden and countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

This defence policy direction describes the Government’s ambition to develop its defence engagement and cooperation with partner countries in the Indo-Pacific region.

The security situation has deteriorated in both the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions in recent years. When Japan’s Minister of Defense Minoru Kihara met with Sweden’s Minister for Defence Pål Jonson in Stockholm on 25 July, discussions included deepened cooperation to tackle these challenges.

On 25 July, Minister for Defence Pål Jonson will receive a visit from Japan’s Minister of Defense Minoru Kihara for a bilateral meeting at the Maritime Museum in Stockholm.

On 12 July, Minister for Defence Pål Jonson signed a Letter of Intent concerning security cooperation between Sweden and the U.S. state of New York. The cooperation will be mainly between the Swedish Armed Forces and the New York National Guard as part of the United States’ State Partnership Program (SPP).

Sweden will enter a coalition together with eleven other countries, which, through joint procurement, will support Ukraine’s armed forces with unmanned aerial vehicles – drones. Systems training may also be included.

The Nordic countries are entering into a cooperation to promote access to Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden’s airspace for NATO’s air operations. On 9 July, a declaration of cooperation was signed by the countries’ defence ministers in connection with the NATO Summit in Washington DC.

Speech by Minister for Defence Pål Jonson at the Swedish National Day reception organised by the Embassy of Sweden in the Philippines on 6 June 2024 in Manila. Check against delivery.