By Elia Bartlett
Sweden is a part of several global organizations, including the United Nations, and more recently, NATO.
As a part of the UN, Sweden works to fight poverty, promote sustainable development, and combat climate change. It is also strengthening international law and promoting human rights and gender equality issues. In the 2017-2018 term, it was a member of the UN Security Council, and made moves towards furthering prevention of armed conflict, cooperating within the UN Security Council, and much more. Sweden pushed for respect for humanitarian law in Syria, and protection of the humanitarian relief efforts happening there. In its time on the Security Council, Sweden also worked with the UN’s peacekeeping, focusing on a peaceful transfer of power in the Gambia in 2017.
Sweden has taken steps towards joining NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, in these past few days. Sweden has been trying to join NATO but has not yet gotten the endorsement from Turkey. All countries must agree in order for another to join, and Turkey had been refusing to allow Sweden to join because they disagreed with their leniency with militant groups. Turkey also believed that Sweden was harboring members of a group that Turkey saw as terrorists. After working more closely with Sweden and seeing them strengthen their anti-terror legislation, Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has agreed to sign off on Sweden’s entry into NATO.
Turkish president and Swedish Prime Minister shake hands at a NATO Summit.
However, on October 24th Sweden’s entry was denied once more– by Hungary. Hungary has a close alliance with Turkey, and Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto has said, “If there is movement (in Turkey’s position), then of course we will keep our promise that Hungary will not delay any country in its accession.” With Turkey’s change of position it can be predicted that Hungary will follow soon. The next vote on Sweden’s accession will be on November 6th.
Sources:
Sweden closer to NATO membership after Erdogan sends accession protocol to Turkish parliament
Hungary in the spotlight after Turkey presses on with Sweden’s bid to join NATO