SWEDEN, June 12 - During the demonstration, Mr Kristersson and Mr Stoltenberg got to see the boarding of a vessel and, specifically, the special forces units’ marine anti-terrorism capabilities. 

“There is a difference between cooperating with NATO and being a part of NATO. For Sweden, the most important change since 7 March is perhaps not military, but rather psychological. Membership in NATO requires a different mindset. We Swedes now have a shared responsibility for the whole territory of the Alliance. We share the Baltic Sea with all our closest NATO neighbours,” says Mr Kristersson. 

At the press conference with Mr Kristersson and Mr Stoltenberg, the news was announced that Sweden is taking the next step in its NATO integration process by providing Swedish aircraft to NATO’s Air Policing. The Government has tasked the Swedish Armed Forces with carrying out activities within the framework of NATO Air Policing, NATO’s incident preparedness that aims to act as a deterrent and preserve the integrity of NATO’s air space.

During their bilateral talks, Mr Kristersson and Mr Stoltenberg spoke about the upcoming NATO summit in Washington DC and support to Ukraine.