Stoltenberg is answering Swedish party leaders’ questions about Sweden’s NATO process.
18:36•Updated 19:35
The Swedish government will submit a motion on joining NATO to the Diet this evening. Prime minister Ulf Kristersson points out that Sweden’s NATO process thus remains on the same schedule as Finland’s.
Kristersson reiterates that the Swedish government’s priorities include combating organized crime and terrorism. The fight against organized crime also concerns the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, the PKK, whose activities Turkey has been concerned about.
– It also complicates the operation of the PKK, says Kristersson. According to him, Turkey will be told more about this in trilateral negotiations in Brussels on Thursday.
Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg speaks in his introduction about Russia’s attack on Ukraine and the need to support Ukraine.
He assures that the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO is of primary importance to NATO and repeats once again that it is time to accept the countries as full members of NATO.
– NATO is stronger than ever, and our alliance will soon become bigger, says Stoltenberg.
He adds that the membership of Sweden and Finland will make NATO even stronger – and assures that NATO would act if the security of Sweden or Finland were threatened.
– Putin wanted NATO less. He gets more NATO, says Stoltenberg.
The introductions are over, and Stoltenberg and Kristersson are now answering the journalists’ questions.
Kristersson is asked about the New York Times news that a pro-Ukrainian group was behind blowing up the Nordstream gas pipeline. He would not comment other than to say that the Nordstream explosions are being investigated.
– As I said, I am not going to comment on the information, Kristersson repeats when he is asked again about the New York Times news.
Stoltenberg says that it is certain that the gas pipeline was sabotaged. He does not want to comment on who could be behind the sabotage and refers to the ongoing investigation.
Stoltenberg met party leaders
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is in Stockholm, where he has met with the chairman of the moderate coalition, Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and other Swedish party leaders. Stoltenberg answered the party leaders’ questions about Sweden’s NATO process.
Only those party leaders whose parties have a positive attitude towards Sweden’s NATO membership were invited to Stoltenberg’s meeting. The Left Party and the Environmental Party were not invited.
Stoltenberg is also scheduled to participate in the informal meeting of EU defense ministers in Stockholm tomorrow, Wednesday.
The parliamentary delegation sent by Hungary to Sweden met the Speaker of the Diet earlier today by Andreas Norlén and a few members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. The meeting in the morning lasted about an hour.