In Sweden, on the island of Gotland, NATO membership – liberation – population split

Located in the heart of the Baltic Sea, this tourist island is a strategic stronghold for the transatlantic system. At the site, however, some residents are concerned about the latest membership.

With caps screwed on their heads, the soldiers patiently line up in the yard of the Gotland regiment. In front of them, three flags in the colors of Sweden fly in the sky. Within minutes, they would be joined by a fourth adorned with the famous NATO white compass. This Monday, March 11, around a hundred soldiers, conscripts and locals will attend a ceremony to mark the Scandinavian country's accession to the Atlantic Alliance. Even “Harald the Sixth” Ram, the regiment's mascot, came to watch the show dressed in military uniform.

At the foot of the mast, the Swedish Minister for the Elderly and Social Security, Anna Denje – to represent the government from the continent – begins her speech, to applause and a tremor in the air. “Sweden is now a safe country in this uncertain time” She reassures the audience. A few days ago, the Nordic country officially joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. By becoming the 32nd member, he ended two centuries of neutrality and subsequent military non-alignment.

And “Historic Moment”, Anna Tenje underlines after the ceremony. Marked leaving a glimpse of a brooch pinned to his jacket