Swedish MPs have overwhelmingly emboldened a defence co-operation agreement with Washington that gives the US military access to Swedish army facilities, Euractiv reports.
After nearly six hours of debate, the controversial bilateral defence co-operation agreement with the US, announced last December, was passed with 266 votes in favour and 37 against. Swedish Minister of Defence Pal Jonson said:
There is a common interest in getting the agreement in place as quickly as possible.
The agreement gives the US military the right to use 17 Swedish military bases and training grounds across the country, not counting Sweden’s new commitment to NATO. Washington has similar agreements with several other countries, including Finland, Norway, Denmark, the Baltic States and Poland.
However, it is still unclear when exactly the US will be able to start stationing personnel and equipment at Swedish bases.
Jonson expects Sweden to honour the agreement within a month and then send a note to the US. He said:
We have said that a memorandum can be exchanged around August and then work could move forward.
According to the Swedish government, the agreement will strengthen the state’s military power, and in the event of a crisis or conflict, the initial distance for US soldiers will be much shorter if weapons, ammunition, supplies and fuel are already stored on Swedish territory.
Concerns about nuclear weapons
However, the opposition Green and Left parties remain highly critical of what they see as the treaty’s lack of clear wording on nuclear weapons. Left Party lawmaker Hakan Svenneling said during the debate on Tuesday:
Sweden is the only country in the Nordic region that lacks clauses in the agreement that provide protection against nuclear weapons.
Last month, Sweden’s prime minister indeed said that the country could host nuclear weapons in wartime. Kristersson told P1 radio station:
If there is a war with us on our land, which Sweden is drawn into after an attack by others, then it is a completely different situation. Then the whole of NATO benefits from the nuclear umbrella that must exist in democracies as long as countries like Russia have nuclear weapons.
The Swedish government has repeatedly said it will continue to decide which weapons to bring into the country, but Svenneling said the situation could change, for example, if a new president comes to power in the US. He said:
Agreements are not only written for days with sunshine, but also for days with rain, clouds and even storms.
Jonson rejected the opposition’s accusations, saying Sweden remains a sovereign country. He also added:
It is very clear that Sweden is a sovereign country, there is no other country that can force Sweden to have nuclear weapons on Swedish territory.
However, there is no explicit provision in the agreement to ban nuclear weapons on Swedish territory.
