Brussels. January 17th. INTERFAX - The number of Swedish residents supporting the country's accession to the North Atlantic Alliance has increased amid rising tensions in relations with Russia, Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing the results of surveys.
According to one survey, the number of Swedes opposed to Sweden's accession to NATO fell to 36% by the end of 2021, while in 2015 there were 50% who disagreed with this. At the same time, the results of another survey showed that only 35% of Swedes support the idea of the country joining NATO, while 33% of the country's residents are against it.
Opinions on Sweden's accession to the North Atlantic Alliance were also divided in the Swedish Parliament. Thus, the center-right parties support joining NATO, while the Social Democrats oppose it.
Bloomberg notes that the long-rejected idea of Sweden's membership in NATO has become more attractive to Swedes over the past decade. According to the agency, the opinion of residents of the country could be influenced by recent events, in particular, the situation in the Baltic Sea.
So, last week, Lieutenant General of the Swedish Armed Forces Leif Michael Klasson said that the Swedish military recorded an increase in the level of military activity of the Russian Federation in the Baltic Sea. In particular, according to the Swedish side, a number of amphibious floating vehicles of the Northern Fleet of the Russian Navy entered the Baltic Sea.
In response to Russian military activity, the Swedish command sent military personnel to patrol the city of Visby on the strategically important island of Gotland located in the Baltic Sea.