Sweden’s parliamentary deputy Helena Bouveng and Swedish ambassador to Kosovo, Jonas Westerlund, have affirmed that Kosovo will receive Sweden’s full support in its path towards membership in the world’s most powerful military alliance, NATO.
The Russian aggression against Ukraine has shaken the foundations of European security and, as a result, also influenced Sweden. Known for its long-standing neutrality and staying out of military alliances, Sweden made the historic decision to join NATO, just months after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. Now, Kosovo, the newest state in Europe, aspires to become a member of this military alliance as well.
Helena Bouveng, a member of the Swedish Parliament’s Defense Committee, emphasized that Kosovo can learn a great deal from Sweden’s experience in joining NATO. She confirmed that Sweden would strongly support Kosovo in this process.
“The Russian invasion of Ukraine had a major impact on Europe. As a result of this war, Sweden changed its position. We saw that in these challenging times, we could not remain isolated, and we made the necessary changes. Sweden’s NATO membership was essential, and we joined the alliance along with Finland. Kosovo can learn important lessons from our and Finland’s accession to NATO. Sweden seriously supports Kosovo in its ambition to become a partner in the EU and NATO, but there is still much work to be done,” Bouveng said to Tëvë1.
Sweden’s ambassador to Kosovo, Jonas Westerlund, also provided recommendations for Kosovo’s path to NATO.
“Sweden made an extraordinary turn to become a NATO member. We haven’t been at war since 1814, which is a long time. The whole Swedish mentality had to change. We applied for NATO membership just three months after Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Now, we are slowly building our armed forces and contributing to the defense of Ukraine. Some of the recommendations for Kosovo include participation in NATO peacekeeping operations. It is important not to focus only on your military forces, but also on your civil defense capabilities,” said Westerlund.
The Swedish diplomat understands well the challenges Kosovo faces in joining NATO, particularly with the four non-recognizing states. However, he remains optimistic that these issues will be resolved through dialogue. He encouraged Kosovo to strengthen its bilateral relations with other NATO members.
“It is true that some NATO member states still do not recognize Kosovo’s independence. However, it is important for Kosovo to not stop and engage in dialogue with those countries to resolve these issues. Meanwhile, Kosovo can develop good bilateral relations with other NATO member states and cooperate closely with them,” Westerlund added.
Sweden joined NATO on March 7, 2024, expanding the alliance to 32 member states.
The Swedish Alumni Network in Kosovo, in cooperation with the Swedish Embassy, organized a conference on Friday titled “Kosovo’s Path to NATO Membership: Lessons Learned from Sweden.”
