The Swedish government announced the start of negotiations with the United States on an agreement to expand cooperation in the field of defense.
A government statement on Monday said that “discussions revolve around a defense cooperation agreement that will form the basis for continued defense cooperation and will define the legal conditions for the presence of US forces in Sweden.”
She pointed out that the United States has entered into similar agreements with several other countries, stressing that “the defense cooperation agreement paves the way for closer cooperation with the United States both bilaterally and within NATO.”
She explained that the legal issues related to the presence of the US military in Sweden, which will be determined by the agreement, will include the legal status of the US military and their ability to visit military bases, as well as issues of taxes and fees. .
It is noteworthy that Sweden signed the NATO accession protocol last year and is still waiting for the protocol to be ratified by all NATO member states, especially Turkey, which has put forward its conditions for Sweden to join the alliance.
Source: TASS
