Sweden is negotiating with the United States for closer defense cooperation both bilaterally and within NATO, while Turkey continues to block joining the Atlantic alliance, writes AFP.

Ulf KristerssonPhoto: Fredrik Sandberg-TT / Shutterstock Editorial / Profimedia

The new Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA) “facilitates US military operations in Sweden,” Swedish Defense Minister Pål Jönsson said in a written statement to AFP.

“This may include the storage of defense equipment and investment in infrastructure to enable the support and legal status of American soldiers in Sweden,” the minister added.

“These negotiations are ongoing because Sweden is becoming an ally of the US by joining NATO,” he said.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Sweden and Finland decided to leave their neutral status and join NATO.

But Turkey, a member of the Atlantic alliance, has blocked their entry since May and signed a memorandum of understanding with them in June that ties their membership to the fight against Kurdish movements and their supporters on its territory.

Turkey has demands that Sweden cannot and will not meet, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said Sunday as he discussed the accession process with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

In late December, Ankara said Stockholm had taken “positive steps” but called for “further important steps” to remove its objections to Sweden joining NATO, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said.

Sweden will restore compulsory public service, abolished in 2008, given the worsening security situation in the region as a result of the war in Ukraine, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said on Monday, as quoted by EFE and Agerpres.

“Public service” means that citizens of Sweden may be called upon to support the authorities in medical measures or emergency services, for their proper functioning in case of alarm or war.

Sweden has taken several steps to bolster its defenses over the past decade, citing tensions with Russia in the region, and in 2017 reinstated conscription, which was suspended seven years ago.

The new right-wing government installed three months ago in Stockholm has also expressed its intention to increase the defense budget to 2% of GDP by 2026, in line with the target of NATO, the organization that Sweden and Finland have decided to join. on the terms put forward by Turkey and on which negotiations are ongoing.