“Nato-base: Sweden is welcome”
“Sweden can quickly be welcomed as a member state of Nato. But only if the swedes themselves want, ” says militäralliansens secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg in an interview with TT and Swedish Radio.”
“The Norwegian former prime minister goes from interview to interview when he receives inside of Nato’s stately new miljardhögkvarter in the north east of Brussels.”
“the Program is intense ahead of the 4 april, when the militäralliansens foreign ministers hold birthday parties in the united states. Even more celebration awaits in London in december with all the heads of state and government on the spot.”
“Stoltenberg considers himself to have full reason to be proud of what Nato accomplished since its foundation in 1949.”
“– this is the longest fredstiden in Europe’s history that we have had during these 70 years. It is not just because of Nato, but Nato has contributed, argues Stoltenberg.”
“Quiet and peaceful, it has still not been. During the first 40 years were dominated Europe of the cold war, when the guns and tanks steadily directed towards each other from Nato in the west and the warsaw Pact in the east.”
“And in recent years it has once again begun to squeak more in the relations with Moscow.”
“Jens Stoltenberg has been concentrating much of his time as secretary-general since 2014 on the relationship to Russia.”
“– We see a more self-promoting, Russia, which invests much more in its military capabilities, using military force against its neighbours in Georgia and Ukraine, which are trying to interfere in the democratic processes in our countries, and is responsible for the cyber attacks and the use of the chemical neurotoxin in the Uk.”
“It is serious,” he stresses.”
“– But we do not see an immediate danger of a military attack on a nato country. We are not in the cold war. I spend a lot of time to not make the situation worse than it is.”
“Of Sweden, Nato membership a long time a non-issue. Over the years, however, cooperation has increased all the more, and together with Finland, Sweden has a unique close partnership with militäralliansen. It liked in Brussels.”
“– Sweden and Finland is radiant and full of surprises and fantastic neighbors and partners to Nato. We put very high value on cooperation. It is important, not least when it has been a major focus on the security situation around the Baltic, says Nato military base.”
“In medlemskapsfrågan paws he, however, on the toe.”
” I understand very well that I, as secretary-general of Nato and, in particular, as the Norwegian secretary-general should not begin to give the swedes afford if they are to become members or not. But I am sure that Sweden would be welcomed and quickly to be received as a full member, says Stoltenberg.”
“He emphasizes at the same time, once again, that the current partnership and cooperation is not enough that Nato would set it up for Sweden in case of a possible military attack.”
“– Sweden can anytime come to Nato and ask for consultations. Sweden can at anytime sit down and discuss a crisis with Nato countries. However, the automatic defence guarantee, which is Nato’s core, it only applies to Nato member states, ” concludes Stoltenberg.”
“As a partner country are not subject to Sweden of Natoländernas a goal to add at least the equivalent of two percent of GDP on defense.”
“Stoltenberg says.”
” We are politicians and I know how difficult it is to spend money on defense. Politicians from all parties would normally rather spend the money on health care, education, school and infrastructure than defense. Why will Sweden and Norway and most countries in Europe down their defence budgets significantly after the end of the cold war. But now the increasing tensions again, says Stoltenberg.”
” I wish we had come so far in the world that we didn’t have to use so much money to the defense. But when we live in a dangerous world so we must invest more.”
“Stoltenberg turned 60 last week and has recently been reappointed as the secretary-general by 2022. When will Nato have been ruled by northerners for 13 years, since the Stoltenbergs representatives from 2009 to 2014 was the Danish former prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.”
“If there has been any kind of a nordic character of Nato is hard to say. Stoltenberg considers himself to have taken their experiences from home on how to manage Russia.”
“– It is possible to cooperate with Russia, only you stand firm and stick together and not to confuse dialogue with weakness. It has Norway done during the cold war and we have got to a cooperation in the north on energy, on fish, and defense, and the division of the Barents Sea, ” says Stoltenberg.”
“– The Norwegian experience, I have taken to Nato, I think intensely that we must avoid a new cold war and a new arms race. And then we have to talk with Russia, says Nato chief in Brussels.”
“Jens Stoltenberg was born in Oslo on 16 march 1959 in a heavy socialist politikerfamilj father, Thorvald was minister of defence 1979-81, minister of foreign affairs 1987-89 and 1990-93, and in addition the united nations mediator on the Balkans, 1993-96. His mother Karin was also state secretary at business and commerce. Aunt Marianne was in turn a while the head of the UN relief and works agency for palestinian refugees, UNRWA, and is married to the former foreign and defence minister Johan Jørgen Holst.”
“Jens Stoltenberg himself was the business and energy minister 1993-96, minister of finance 1996-97 and was the year 2000, Norway’s youngest prime minister to date. Since his first minority government has fallen after more than 1.5 years he returned to power in 2005 and sat, then to 2013.”
“On 1 October 2014 he took up the position of general secretary in the militäralliansen Nato. His wife Ingrid Schulerud is a diplomat and then in 2015, Norway’s ambassador in Belgium. The couple have a son and a daughter.”
“– Brexit will change Britain’s relationship with the EU, but does not change the Uk’s relationship to Nato. If anything makes Nato more important as a platform for bringing the european countries together.”
“. . .Barack Obama vs. Donald Trump?”
“– We do not want to create a new rise of google, by China, on the contrary, we wish to get to détente and cooperation. At the same time, we must look at the consequences for our security of China is growing and coming closer to us in the north, in Africa and in cyberspace.”
“. . .the Swedish armed forces?”
“– The Swedish forces are professional and talented. Nato countries practice with Sweden in Sweden and in the Baltic sea. This collaboration is good for Nato, it is good for Sweden and Finland, and it is something that we wish.”
