The Hungarian Parliament signs the agreement to accept Sweden into NATO: PPTVHD36

Last year, Finland officially became the 31st member of NATO. Meanwhile, the process of Sweden's admission as a member was delayed for several months. This is because member states such as Hungary have conflicting views and delay approval.

But the Hungarian Parliament signed a document recognizing Sweden as a member of NATO. This opens the way for Sweden to officially prepare to become the 32nd member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) soon. This was considered a turning point because it meant that NATO could expand its influence in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Which is almost complete behind Russia's homes in the West

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The Hungarian Parliament voted to ratify Sweden's Protocol on Accession. It is a document proving Sweden's membership in NATO. Members of Parliament voted overwhelmingly in favor of the resolution, with 188 votes out of 194 in the Council.

This represents the removal of the final obstacle to Sweden's membership in NATO. After Hungarian President Viktor Orbán delayed submitting a protocol to parliament to recognize Sweden's membership for several months, Hungary has never been forthcoming about the delay in accepting Sweden's membership. But on numerous occasions Hungary claims that this is because Sweden has criticized the deterioration of democracy in Hungary.

However, Hungary is optimistic that it will immediately submit documents to Parliament to ratify Sweden's accession to NATO. After Ulf Kristersson, the Prime Minister of Sweden traveled to meet the Prime Minister of Hungary in Budapest to sign a new security agreement last Friday.

Sweden promised to sell a total of 4 Swedish Gripen fighter aircraft to Hungary and the company.

Saab, the maker of Gripen aircraft, will open an artificial intelligence research center in Hungary. Hungary then gave Sweden the green light to recognize Sweden's membership in NATO.

After the Hungarian Parliament voted to ratify Sweden's accession protocol to NATO, the Prime Minister of Sweden issued a press statement congratulating Hungary on the decision, saying it was a historic day. Joining NATO represents an important step in abandoning the status of military neutrality that Sweden has maintained for more than two hundred years.

When Sweden was officially adopted as the 32nd member of NATO. This means that NATO is able to expand its influence in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea. Which is almost complete behind houses in western Russia

The question is: Why did Sweden decide to join NATO? After maintaining a state of military neutrality for more than 200 years

When considering the geographical location it is true that Sweden has no land borders with Russia. But there is a risk of threats. Because Russia has a region located on the Baltic Sea, which is the Kaliningrad region.

Kaliningrad is part of Russia. But the strange thing is that there is no connection to the Russian mainland in this small area. This part of Russia is surrounded by NATO member states Poland and Lithuania.

The city of Kaliningrad, which has an area of ​​about 220 square kilometers. It is home to the highest concentration of troops and weapons in Europe. One of the weapons installed by Russia is the Iskander nuclear missile, which has a range that reaches NATO member states in the Baltic region such as Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Including Sweden Sweden is at risk of attack from Kaliningrad. Because of Sweden's important strategic location, the island of Gotland. It is located only 350 kilometers from Kaliningrad.

The island of Gotland is the outpost for the defense of Stalcolm. The capital of Sweden was in the event of attack from the Baltic Sea and tensions in this region gradually spread. It raised the bar over the years and gradually began to make Sweden retreat from a state of military neutrality

One of the clearest signs was in October 2014 when the Swedish military was able to detect activity from a foreign submarine in the Baltic Sea. Close to mainland Sweden, the part that stands out is the peninsula. Which was later believed to be a Russian submarine

In addition, Swedish authorities have reported several times that Russia is invading Swedish airspace and on one occasion, a week after Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine, four Russian warplanes were deployed, including two armed with nuclear weapons. It took off from the Kaliningrad Air Base and penetrated Swedish airspace for one minute.

These were sufficient reasons for Sweden to decide to join NATO in order to enjoy the protection stipulated in Article Five of the NATO Charter. Which will provide security guarantees because if one of the NATO member states is attacked and the remaining member states have an obligation to jointly protect and defend against the member states that are under a joint attack.

Sweden has all the qualifications to become a member of NATO. Whether the economy is strong is transparent politics but the important thing is military strength. Sweden is one of the few countries in Europe whose defense budget exceeds 2% of GDP, a condition that NATO member states have agreed to meet. It also tends to increase continuously.

Moreover, Sweden is also a potential member with strong military potential. It will help strengthen NATO.

Jason C. Muir and Henry Weinberg of the Wilson Center, an American foreign affairs think tank. Analysis in the article: Sweden's participation will benefit NATO's military capabilities in three ways.

First of all, Sweden is home to one of the largest defense industries in Europe. It will be worth US$3 billion by 2022. Swedish arms companies are among the leaders in manufacturing some of the most advanced weapons on the market. Whether it's a Saab Gripen fighter jet. Or the CV-90 infantry fighting vehicle of BAE System AB.

Secondly, Sweden is a country with a high level of technological capabilities. This will help strengthen cybersecurity and defend against cyber threats to NATO allies.

Part Three Sweden has the largest air force among the Nordic countries. It is one of the largest air forces in Europe. The Swedish Air Force has at least 100 combat aircraft stationed. Sweden's accession to NATO means that the protection and control of the Baltic Sea airspace will be strengthened and intensified.

The next question is how will Sweden's accession to NATO change the geopolitical situation of the Baltic Sea region?

In terms of security, the Baltic region is considered one of Russia's most important fronts. This is the back of the house. Or a line of defense against the advance of anyone who wanted to invade the Russian mainland. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia lost this line of defense. Because the Baltic Sea countries that were once part of the Soviet Union such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania chose to remain with the Western alliance by applying for NATO and EU membership. In April 2023, after Finland became a member of NATO. Almost the entire Baltic Sea has become a NATO sphere of influence. If Sweden is adopted as a full member of NATO soon, this means that NATO will be able to completely blockade Russia in the West.

Security alliances such as NATO have been criticized in the past as outdated. Until Russia launched its war in Ukraine two years ago, that war was part of a shift in security policy among European countries towards a more defensive and military focus. To enhance assistance to Ukraine and deal with potential threats from Russia. Meanwhile, another change has occurred and European countries are trying to become more self-reliant after the United States had an opportunity to change its policy direction after the presidential elections at the end of this year.

On February 26, more than 20 European NATO countries attended a meeting in Paris at the invitation of French President Emmanuel Macron. The main purpose is to find ways to increase support for Ukraine among European allies.

Especially on a day when Ukraine was at a disadvantage on the Eastern Front. Due to the shortage of artillery ammunition and military equipment, the forces were insufficient and exhausted from fighting for a long time. Including the lack of long-range missiles and air defense. This leaves Ukraine unable to carry out long-range attacks, while the United States is unlikely to approve new military aid to Ukraine. After delaying it for several months, the European Union and recently President Volodymyr Zelensky have revealed that it has delivered only 30 percent of the promised doses to Ukraine.

President Macron called on European leaders at the meeting to increase their support for Ukraine. He pointed out that defeating Russia in this war is vital to ensuring European security and stability, but in addition to discussions on developing weapons and ammunition production, including forming a coalition to deliver medium and long-range weapons.

One interesting point raised by the French President is that France does not rule out the possibility of sending soldiers from the French army to help fight in the Ukraine war.

This is the first time that the allies have raised the issue of sending troops to help in the fighting in Ukraine, but President Macron said that sending French forces to help the Ukrainian army is also a proposal that has not gained widespread consensus.

For the process that will follow before Sweden officially becomes the 32nd member of NATO. The approved document had to be sent to the US government, then to Jens Stoltenberg and the NATO Secretary General would then send an official invitation to Sweden.