Tallinn - Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven has said his country has no plans to join NATO.
“We will stay outside of NATO, but we want to maintain and promote cooperation with NATO states. At the same time, we remain divided over Article 5 [Sweden, as a country that is not a member of the alliance, does not have to obey NATO’s mutual self-defense clause],” Lofven said at a press conference after a meeting with his Estonian counterpart Taavi Roivas on Oct. 21.
The two sides also agreed to the need to increase defense spending, the Swedish prime minister said.
“First and foremost, we should enhance defense spending intended for the Air Force and submarines,” he said.
Lofven, however, refused to comment on the ongoing developments in Sweden’s territorial waters, where the Swedish Armed Forces are conducting a large-scale operation to track down an unknown object.
Local media alleged that a Russian submarine might be in trouble off the coast of Sweden.
“We have not discussed the events in the Stockholm archipelago. I cannot comment on them until it becomes known for certain what is going on there,” Lofven said.
The Russian Defense Ministry earlier advised Sweden to look for a Dutch submarine in its territorial waters instead of a Russian one.
