STORY: NATO holds ceremony to mark Sweden's formal accession
SHOOTING TIME: March 11, 2024
DATELINE: March 12, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:35
LOCATION: Brussels
CATEGORY: MILITARY/POLITICS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the Swedish flag being raised at NATO Headquarters
2. various of the Swedish flag being added into the NAC room at NATO Headquarters in Brussels

STORYLINE:

A ceremony was held at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's (NATO) headquarters in Brussels on Monday, to mark Sweden's entry into the alliance.
　　
The flag of Sweden was raised joining the 31 flags of the other members of the alliance.
　　
At the ceremony, attended also by Swedish Crown Princess Victoria, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Sweden is now "under the shield of Article 5 protection."
　　
Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO after the Ukrainian crisis escalated in February 2022.

While Finland completed the accession process in April 2023, Sweden's accession dragged on and was finally approved by the Hungarian parliament last month. 

Sweden became NATO's 32nd member on March 7 upon depositing its instrument of accession to the North Atlantic Treaty with the United States government in Washington D.C.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Brussels.
(XHTV)