editorials.voa.gov Open in urlscan Pro
2a02:26f0:3500:899::3e9  Public Scan

Form analysis
2 forms found in the DOM

GET /s

<form action="/s" class="srch-top__form srch-top__form--in-header" id="form-topSearchHeader" method="get" role="search"><label for="txtHeaderSearch" class="sr-only">Search</label>
  <input type="text" id="txtHeaderSearch" name="k" placeholder="search text ..." accesskey="s" value="" class="srch-top__input analyticstag-event"
    onkeydown="if (event.keyCode === 13) { FireAnalyticsTagEventOnSearch('search', $dom.get('txtHeaderSearch')[0].value) }">
  <button title="Search" type="submit" class="btn btn--top-srch analyticstag-event" onclick="FireAnalyticsTagEventOnSearch('search', $dom.get('txtHeaderSearch')[0].value) ">
    <span class="ico ico-search"></span>
  </button>
</form>

GET /s

<form action="/s" class="srch-bottom__form d-flex" id="form-bottomSearch" method="get" role="search"><label for="txtSearch" class="sr-only">Search</label>
  <input type="search" id="txtSearch" name="k" placeholder="search text ..." accesskey="s" value="" class="srch-bottom__input analyticstag-event"
    onkeydown="if (event.keyCode === 13) { FireAnalyticsTagEventOnSearch('search', $dom.get('txtSearch')[0].value) }">
  <button title="Search" type="submit" class="btn btn--bottom-srch analyticstag-event" onclick="FireAnalyticsTagEventOnSearch('search', $dom.get('txtSearch')[0].value) ">
    <span class="ico ico-search"></span>
  </button>
</form>

Text Content

ACCESSIBILITY LINKS

 * Skip to main content
 * Skip to main Navigation
 * Skip to Search




Next
Close Previous Next

This image contains sensitive content which some people may find offensive or
disturbing. Click to reveal


PRINT OPTIONS:

 * Images
 * Multimedia

 * Embedded Content
 * Comments

Cancel Print
Link has been copied to clipboard
Menu
 * Home
 * Video
 * Radio
 * Regions
   Africa Americas Asia Europe Middle East
 * Rewards for Fugitives
 * About Us

FOLLOW US

Search
Europe
Search
 
Sweden Becomes 32nd NATO Member
share
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 

Previous Next
Breaking News
Europe


SWEDEN BECOMES 32ND NATO MEMBER

March 11, 2024

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


(FILE) Officials hoist the Swedish national flag on a pole during a flag raising
ceremony for Sweden's accession to NATO at the North Atlantic Alliance
headquarters in Brussels, on March 11, 2024.
Share
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 

Print

"Sweden embodies and promotes the core values that are at the heart of NATO:
democracy, liberty, the rule of law," said Secretary Blinken.

Embed share

SWEDEN BECOMES 32ND NATO MEMBER

by Editorials on Voice of America
Embed share
The code has been copied to your clipboard.

The URL has been copied to your clipboard
 * Share on Facebook
 * Share on Twitter
 * 
 * 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------




No media source currently available

0:00 3:46 0:00

Direct link
 * 130 kbps | MP3
 * 66 kbps | MP3

Pop-out player

On March 7, Sweden, feeling increasingly threatened by Russia’s unprovoked,
ruthless war against Ukraine, abandoned its 200-year-old policy of nonalignment
and officially joined the NATO defensive alliance as its thirty-second member.

“Before Putin’s re-invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022 … less than one-third
of Swedes supported joining NATO,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
“After the invasion, three-quarters of the Swedish people made clear their
desire to join.”

“Swedes realized something very profound: that if Putin was willing to try to
erase one neighbor from the map, then he might well not stop there. And if he
was allowed to proceed with impunity, not only would his aggression potentially
continue, but would-be aggressors everywhere would get the message that it was
open season,” he said.

The Swedish people stood up for their own country and they stood up to defend
the international system that we all rely on, said Secretary Blinken. “And I
think what this tells us even more profoundly is the reaffirmation of Sweden’s
democratic character: change driven by its people.”

“There’s also no clearer example than today of the strategic debacle that
Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has become for Russia. We see a Russia that is now
weaker militarily, economically, diplomatically,” he said.

Conversely, NATO is now stronger and larger than it’s ever been. “Everything
Putin sought to prevent, he’s actually precipitated by his actions, by his
aggression; and there’s no clearer example of that than Sweden becoming a member
of this Alliance,” said Secretary Blinken.

“It’s taken … nearly two years of tireless diplomacy … to achieve ratification
by every NATO member,” said Secretary Blinken. “Some doubted that we’d get here.
We never did.”

“Sweden has long been an active partner with NATO Allies,” he said. “And
fundamentally, the reason this is such a strong, powerful fit is because Sweden
embodies and promotes the core values that are at the heart of NATO: democracy,
liberty, the rule of law.”

“If you go back to 1949,” said Secretary Blinken, “at the signing of the NATO
Treaty, President Truman said this …: ‘In taking steps to prevent aggression
against our own peoples, we have no purpose of aggression against other peoples.
We hope to create a shield against aggression and the fear of aggression, a
bulwark which will permit us to get on with the real business of government and
society – the business of achieving a fuller and happier life for all of our
citizens.’”


REFLECTING THE VIEWS OF THE U.S. GOVERNMENT AS BROADCAST ON THE VOICE OF AMERICA


MORE EDITORIALS

 * TYING UP LOOSE ENDS OF WAR IN IRAQ

 * DEVELOPMENT FINANCE CORPORATION MARKS FIVE YEARS

 * AFTER FOUR YEARS, A REVITALIZED NATO

 * ASSAD'S BRUTAL RULE IN SYRIA HAS ENDED

 * U.S. SEEKS PARTNERSHIP WITH AFRICA

 * IRANIAN HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVIST NARGES MOHAMMADI SHOULD BE RELEASED

 * PUTIN'S PROGRAM TO TRANSFER, ADOPT, NATURALIZE UKRAINIAN CHILDREN

 * U.S. CITIZENS DETAINED IN CHINA RETURNED HOME

More
 * Follow Us
    * 
    * 
    * 
    * 
    * 
    * 

 * Editorials
    * Africa
    * Asia
    * Americas
    * Europe
    * Middle East
    * Human Rights
    * Security and Defense
    * Aid and Development
    * Democracy and Governance
    * Environment and Health



XS
SM
MD
LG