Sweden’s Foreign Minister Billstrom to step down

Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom, who presided over his country’s entry to NATO, announced Wednesday that he will step down next week.
The experienced Billstrom, who hails from the center-right Moderate party, said he has been considering the decision for some time.
“I am happy and very proud of everything we have achieved in these two years,” he said on X. “First, the obvious: After a long and sometimes challenging process, Sweden is finally a member of NATO. We have now left over 200 years of nonalignment.”
Sweden joined NATO earlier this year. The accession process was complicated by opposition from fellow European Union and NATO member Hungary, which withheld approval of Sweden’s entrance for more than 600 days.
The addition of Sweden was seen as a boost to the alliance’s strategic positioning around the Baltic Sea, as well as to European solidarity following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Billstrom has been in the post since October 2022 and previously served as migration minister.