(VOVWORLD) -The US looks forward to soon welcoming Sweden as the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)’s 32nd member before the alliance’s summit in July, said US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin during his visit to Sweden on Wednesday.
The US is showing its support for Sweden through an increasing US military presence there and encouraging Turkey and Hungary to ratify the accession, he said.
Swedish Defense Minister Pal Johnson expressed his hope that Sweden will enter the NATO as planned before the NATO Summit is held in Lithuania's capital, Vilnius, in July.
Sweden and Finland submitted their applications to NATO last year, ending their military non-alignment policy, which lasted for many decades.
While Finland officially entered NATO on April 4, Sweden’s application has yet to be accepted by Turkey and Hungary.