Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to encourage closer cooperation between Sweden and NATO; and whether he has held discussions with his Swedish counterpart on that county's potential membership of NATO.

​The Foreign Secretary regularly discusses common security issues with his Swedish counterpart. The UK fully supports Sweden's participation with NATO as an Enhanced Opportunities Partner, and cooperates with Sweden on a range of activities. For example, Sweden has contributed to NATO's Resolute Support Mission, to the NATO Response Force, and taken part in NATO's 2017 Crisis Management Exercise. However, any application for NATO membership must be a taken by Sweden alone, and the Government respects this position.