Sweden’s minister of foreign affairs has announced his exit from the Swedish government just days before the beginning of the Riksdag’s legislative session on Sept. 10.
“It has not been an easy decision but something that I have thought about and processed for some time,” he said.
Billstrom said that he is departing the political arena completely.
Billstrom, who took the foreign minister position in October 2022, was vocal in his support of Ukraine’s defensive war against Russia.
He ended the Nordic country’s more than 200-year policy of avoiding military alliances by leading the effort to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
Billstrom said he was proud of his achievements, which included the “long and sometimes challenging process” to secure Sweden’s NATO membership.
“The importance for the security of Sweden and our Nordic-Baltic friends can hardly be overestimated,” he said. “We are in the most serious security policy situation since World War II and this government has carried out a historic restructuring of Swedish security policy.
“We now belong to the core of the countries that support Ukraine and have also put forward a long-term policy to counter Russian power expansion.”
Sweden was the 32nd member country to join the NATO alliance in March, following Finland, which joined in April.
Sweden faced several delays, including hesitancy by Turkey and Hungary in approving the country’s membership over its asylum policy.
In 2016, the Swedish government approved legislation to increase restrictions on asylum seekers after the Nordic nation saw a record 163,000 immigrants.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had asked that Sweden allow Kurdish militants whom the Turkish government has classified as terrorist threats to be extradited as a part of its condition for approval. Turkey lifted its veto in January, and Hungary did so in February, paving the way for Sweden’s entry into the defense alliance.
Billstrom said Sweden is working with the European Union and the United States to stabilize the Middle Eastern conflict.
“In the long run, a two-state solution is the only reasonable one,” he wrote, referring to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
“What I will do next is still open. But I am only 50 years old and look forward to contributing and working hard in other contexts where my commitment comes into its own.”
