Yesterday 13:18
Updated yesterday 14:41
Photo: Anders Wiklund/TT
Sweden will next year send a reduced battalion of soldiers and officers to Riga in Latvia. There they will be part of a multinational NATO force under Canadian leadership.
On Thursday, the government commissioned the Armed Forces to prepare the Swedish contribution to NATO in Latvia, says Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson at a press meeting with Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliņa.
– The goal is for the effort to be operational at the beginning of next year, he says.
Among other things, the battalion will include 90 combat vehicles, 122 tanks (also called Leopard) and 360 armored personnel carriers.
The recruitment takes place from the South Scania regiment P7 in Revingehed.
The Riksdag must also make a decision on the issue.
The placement of Swedish soldiers in Latvia is also good for Sweden’s defense, according to the prime minister.
– In the same way that the defense of our part of the world begins in Ukraine, the defense of NATO begins in Latvia, among others.
During Wednesday, Sweden also ends the military integration with NATO.
– Along with Finland’s, this is one of the fastest integration processes in NATO’s history, says Kristersson.
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