-The gradual reductions in the Swedish Armed Forces, which now have taken place for almost 20 years must be reconsidered, the party leader says. –We need to start strengthen our ability to defend Sweden, he adds, Sveriges Radio reports.
Mr. Bjørklund, who is also Minister of Education in the government of Frederik Reinfeldt, believes the situation in Russia demands enhanced focus on domestic defence capabilities.
-I think we the last years should have woken up in Sweden and restructured our defence policy. Because this development, which we now see in Russia has actually been evident for several years, the politician says. He also wants Sweden to again station forces at Gotland in the Baltic Sea. The Gotland base was abandoned by the Armed Forces in 2004.
Mr. Bjørklund is not the only prominent public figure in Sweden who recently has been outspoken about current Russian affairs. As BarentsObserver reported, former defecen minister Björn von Sydow in a newspaper comment last week indicated that Russia poses an increasing threat to all its neighbouring states. Also Minister of Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt has been outspoken in his criticism about the current Russian political establishment.
