Seminars • October 18, 2011
Interview with Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt
A nearly 10 minute long interview by Robert Tadjer with the Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt after the seminar on Sweden’s role in the world, arranged by the Stockholm Association of International Affairs, on September 27th, 2011.
Listen to the entire interview (in Swedish):
Transcript of the audio translated to English is found below.
Robert Tadjer: It is nowadays said that Sweden is non-aligned but not neutral, and with the declaration of solidarity within both the EU and towards the Baltic states, shall I say the Nordic countries that have been likened with NATO’s article 5. I would like to quote Cecilia Widegren, Deputy Chair of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence, where she has said: “EU is today the central platform for our foreign – and security politics.” But EU is a small actor of security policy and a non-aligned country must be able to defend its entire territory. At the same time the defence has been dismantled since a long time ago, units have been shut down and focus is on a small professional army. How does the Prime Minister view this?
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt: We have remade our Swedish security policy doctrine in broad agreement, where different parts of the world follow us. There are more cross-border security policies and one work with rapid reaction defence rather than standby. I am convinced that this way we get more defence power both nationally as well as international efforts and it is basically under change and it is developed numerically in the years to come so we have a fairly large force ready.
Robert Tadjer: 2014 and 2019, yes, and likewise there The Royal Swedish Academy of War Sciences have written, and I quote: “The government have in the solidarity declaration connected our abilities to receive armed help with our willingness to help others. Then it must also show we seriously intend with being able to give help. Otherwise the world around must draw the conclusion that we try to be free passengers of security policy.” And is it not then better to join NATO, then I think, are we not in NATO, we do not have this connection to protect the territorial waters, Gotland is an important hub if one also look towards the Baltic states, that it becomes empty rhetoric, in this case.
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt: Now you pointed out that our security policy doctrine is rewritten and that there are solidary declarations in EU and among the Nordic countries. It is clearly based on that we have a defence ready for action, to make it credible. I mean that is how we mould and rebuild the Swedish defence. The NATO membership is much debated but from our starting points as a government, we have surely said it is not topical for the simple reason in this case we have presupposed a very broad political support behind such a change and in reality it would involve The Alliance government and the Social Democrats and there has not been an expressed interest for it. Then individual parties may think differently which you no doubt know. But that is still what has been our starting point. We have also all the time taken advantage of that it is important we are closely coordinated with Finland at that case. We can now establish that most of our efforts are undoubtedly NATO coordinated. So we have also a changed NATO as a much broader national security work which also opens to partners who are not fully members. So in that way, I think we learn and develop by being part of these operations.
Robert Tadjer: But if one has in mind what the Prime Minister also said during the seminar that we see a USA which is possibly become more isolationist. The USA is of course an important factor in NATO, if not the most important, should EU in that case have something separate from NATO, which one does not have anything close in that direction. How long can one rely on…what I want to get to it is also the Baltic Sea and one does not know the security situation in 5-10 years in Russia which the Prime Minister himself said, mentioned China and Russia, we do not know what will happen with Putin now. The Prime Minister met Putin a few months ago and regarding that the Prime Minister have been criticized that focus have been on the Baltic Sea environment and not possible security policy issues.
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt: But of course there is a new security situation also in the Baltic Sea where in the past the Cold War border whent right through the Baltic Sea, we are now a Baltic Sea neighbourhood of democracies and thus a much improved security situation. Ongoing analysis of Russia’s development is done which is then translated into military strategic considerations. There one judge that also Russia with some rearmament should not be translated automatically…as territorial military ambitions what concern Sweden, we do not see that infront of us. Partly other conflicts, actually, more southwards are more in focus for the Russian leaders. So that, the more we can secure trade and exchange…better and better functioning democracy in Russia, where we have plenty of opinions. The more stable, long-term, will also our part of the world become.
Robert Tadjer: In reference to that matter, that there have been criticism from the centre-right side, Conservative side, that Germany, is more and more dependent on Russian gas, how can it affect Sweden? Although one can get gas through Denmark towards Germany from more southern countries as well, it should be noted.
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt: Yes, there is a great energy thirst in the world and it is in further linked to fossil fuels. One can also point out that Russia itself has a volatile economic situation because the Russian state budget, the Russian economies dependence on fossil fuels is highly obvious. That is a lot of what Medvedev as president have been trying to address…modernisation of the Russian economy…think it is very interesting to see how Swedish companie’s interest are driving investments that among other things point in that direction. It is clear that, everyone knows, that energy and top-level international politics are very closely related…so well we have from that drawn the conclusion for the Swedish part, to begin with, to not become dependent but to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, develop domestic energy sources, preferably renewable, and of course it is a development we like to exert through climate policy for others to do the same. Germany does too. Germany and Sweden have among the most ambitious climate reduction goals in Europe, nationally, we have respectively 40 %, so that is, what I can say about it.
Robert Tadjer: Well, we have touched upon it, indirectly, on the double standards that have existed towards the Arab world. I do not claim that the Prime Minister have had it but in general there are such criticism and is it not a problem that Sweden have had a military cooperation with Saudi Arabia which one can lock Sweden and a lot on women have come up in Almedalen and in the United Nations General Assembly. Thn the Prime Minister said: ”It is unacceptable that there is still in 2011 countries which deny women the right to vote, inherit and work.” Women’s participation have been emphasised for sustainable peace and development. But how can this be turned into practical policy and the opponents, the Social Democrats and the Green Party mentioned, that it is empty talk, not concrete.
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt: Now you should know that…defence material and such, we have a legislation that was to a great extent formulated under Social Democratic governments. So you sometimes have to wonder about the short-term memory. We have had a very broad consensus…so I think it finally the issue is broken down to how you influence. Do you influence through isolation, highflown press releases followed by total isolation or do you influence the world more with presence and pressure and maybe even during interaction. My opinion the latter is what works in the world. One should for example notice that even Saudi Arabia seems to now have got a breeze of the Arab spring, the other day at least announced…
Robert Tadjer: Local elections.
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt: Absolutely, absolutely. But if one thinks of where we started, it is still a first sign of that this nation which only a short while ago was described as the only country which was unaffected by the Arab spring. Also there it appears that they are influenced and I think just that is telling that isolation, to sort of push them away, no contact, I simply do not think we change the world that way. In the end one has to draw one’s political conclusion. I believe in interaction, to influence, dialogue, even when one has different starting points. So far one is clear in one’s own premises, values, I do not see a problem with it.
Robert Tadjer: Thank you so much.
Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt: – Thank you very much.
