Swedish soldiers are deployed in Latvia in their first outer exercise under the NATO command

A Swedish machining battalion It has officially put under the command of NATO this Friday at a historic ceremony held in Latvia, the first country to see the Swedish troops arrive since he entered the Atlantic Alliance in March last year.

The Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristerssonhas declared in the act that the 500 Swedish soldiers -the majority of which arrived in Ferry or by plane on January 18 -initiate a NATO mission in Latvia at a time when their country is not at war, But either in peace. The formal command change of the Swedish battalion took place in the Military Base of Adži, about 30 kilometers north of the capital of Latvia, Riga.

In a joint press conference with Prime Minister, Evika Silina, Kristersson has said that Sweden contributes “geography and capacity” to NATO with its location on the western shore of the Baltic and its great military capacities. The soldiers join, in this way, a multinational brigade of 14 NATO countries under Canadian command.

The arrival of the Swedish mechanized infantry unit With armored fighter vehicles, anti -tank weapons and other equipment there is just over a year after Kristerson said that his country would send a battalion to join the NATO contingent in Latvia.

An incorporation between incidents

The reinforcement with Swedish Troops of the NATO contingent in Latvia takes place between Growing tensions in the Baltic region After you look suspected of belonging to the Russian fleet in the shadow they sabotage underwater cables.

The Swedish prime minister, after being asked about these incidents, has affirmed that they do not “easily” accusations of sabotage, although “either” they are taken “lightly that random events suddenly increase.” Kristerson responded in this way after confirming that the Swedish police did not find any preliminary sabotage test of the submarine cable owned by the State Radio and Television Center of Latvia.

However, the Letona Prime Minister, Evika Silinahe said that “as long as there is Russian aggression, there will be incidents.” He confirmed that Latvia was not affected by these incidents and that a joint response has been established – at the level of NATO – to these events.