Sweden's foreign minister Ann Linde has officially signed her country's' application to join NATO, following Monday's announcement that accession would be going ahead.
The news comes two days after Finland's President Sauli Niinistö and Prime Minister Sanna Marin officially declared the country's intention to also join the alliance.
Both countries will submit their official applications to NATO headquarters in Brussels later this week, The Local reports, ending decades of official neutrality on the part of both countries.
Just signed a historic indication letter to #NATO Secretary General @jensstoltenberg from the Swedish Government .
Our NATO application is now formally signed. pic.twitter.com/1RAxjikjc0 — Ann Linde (@AnnLinde) May 17, 2022.
Foreign minister Linde was unable to put an exact time-frame on joining, but told CNN the entire process could take up to a year, ERR reports.
The newest NATO member state until now is North Macedonia, which joined in 2020, while Bosnia-Herzegovina is also going through the membership application process. »