The Swedish flag was raised outside NATO headquarters in Brussels on March 11. The ceremony was attended, in particular, by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. This was reported in the broadcast of the ceremony.


"This is a historic day. We welcome Sweden's accession to NATO at a critical time for our common security. In a moment, we will raise the Swedish flag here at NATO Headquarters and across the Alliance. For the first time, 32 flags are flying together. They represent 32 nations working towards a common goal. To protect one billion people, prevent war and spend more than 2% of GDP on defense," said the NATO Secretary General.


According to him, Sweden's accession once again shows that NATO's doors remain open.


"No one can close them. Every nation has the right to choose its own path. And we all choose the path of freedom and democracy. As we speak, the brave people of Ukraine are fighting for these values," Stoltenberg added.


In his turn, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson noted that Sweden is now "an ally among allies".


"After more than 200 years of military non-alignment, this is a historic step, but also a natural step. We have been preparing for decades and in detail for the last two years. With this membership, Sweden has returned home, to the house of security cooperation among democratic countries, to the house of security cooperation among our good neighbors," he said.