The soldiers will join the Canadian NATO brigade.
Hundreds of Swedish troops arrived in Latvia on Saturday to join a Canadian-led NATO army brigade there of around 3,500 troops from 13 member nations. Stockholm described it as its largest and most significant operation within the North Atlantic Alliance to date, reports TASR according to the AP and DPA agencies.
A ship carrying soldiers and equipment from a motorized infantry battalion arrived at the port in the Latvian capital Riga early on Saturday, accompanied by the Swedish Air Force and units of the Swedish and Latvian navies, the Swedish military announced.
According to the Swedish army, the mission consisting of 550 Swedish soldiers will contribute to the deterrence and defense of the Alliance and ensure stability in the region, while “representing the largest (such) commitment of Sweden since its (last year’s) entry into NATO”.
The DPA agency reports that it is the first time since Sweden joined NATO last year that this Nordic country has deployed its soldiers to another member country of the Alliance.
The soldiers are near Riga
In Latvia, Swedish soldiers are joining one of eight NATO brigades on the alliance’s eastern flank. Their battalion is stationed near the town of Ádaži near Riga. The deployment of soldiers was approved by the Swedish parliament in December.
“The reinforcement of NATO units in Latvia by Swedish soldiers is very important for the security of our region and the support of our common defense capabilities,” said Latvian Prime Minister Evika Siliňová. Latvian Defense Minister Andris Spruds called the deployment of Swedish soldiers a clear sign that “the Alliance is united and on any hostile actions on the part of Russia will clearly react”.
Sweden joined NATO in March 2024, making it the 32nd member of this Alliance. This Nordic country applied to join NATO in 2022 together with neighboring Finland. Both countries, which were neutral until then, decided to take such a step after the outbreak of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Finland joined the Alliance already in the spring of 2023, Sweden, on the other hand, had to wait a long time for the approval of its membership by Turkey and Hungary.
Latvia lies on the so-called NATO’s eastern wing, bordering both Russia and its ally Belarus. At the same time, the Latvian government perceives the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a direct threat to its own security, DPA reports.
