OSLO, Jan 9 (Reuters) – Sweden and the United States have started talks to forge deeper security ties in the form of a defense cooperation agreement (DCA), the Swedish government said in a statement on Monday.
A DCA will create a legal framework for the presence of US forces in Sweden and allow for even closer bilateral cooperation than facilitated by NATO membership, the Swedish defense ministry said.
“The United States is Sweden’s most important security and defense partner, both bilaterally and within NATO,” the ministry said.
Sweden in May applied alongside Finland to join NATO in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, but the application is still awaiting approval from members Hungary and Turkey.
Reporting by Terje Solsvik, editing by Essi Lehto
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