“Swedish NATO membership will improve the conditions for deepening our bilateral defense cooperation with the United States,” says Minister of Defense Pål Jonson in his speech at the People and Defense National Conference in Sälen.
He states that Sweden recently started negotiations to enter into a Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) with the USA. It should enable faster and more efficient American support in the event of crisis and war.
— The agreement will affect a large number of areas and make it easier for American forces to operate in Sweden. For example, it could be about their legal status in Sweden, advance storage of material and investments in infrastructure to enable support, says Jonson.
Norway has already concluded such an agreement. Denmark and Finland have started negotiations on one.
Jonson also mentions that the government hopes that a new EU-NATO declaration on deepened cooperation can be adopted during the Swedish EU presidency.
— Before and during the war in Ukraine, NATO and the EU worked closer together than ever before. It is excellent, says the Minister of Defence.
— Through our EU presidency, we will work to ensure that all of the EU’s tools are used for support to Ukraine and for even stronger cooperation between the EU and NATO.
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