Hultqvist was responding to a comment made by the Russian minister last week in which he claimed Nato has access to Sweden and Finland’s airspace and territorial waters.
“What the Russian defence minister describes is false. Nato does not have unrestricted access to either Finnish or Swedish territorial waters and airspace,” Hultqvist told Sveriges Radio.
“Special permission is required for any foreign state vessel or aircraft to enter our territory.”
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The Russian minister had referred to a supposed agreement from May 2018 where Finland and Sweden would grant air and water access in exchange for participation in Nato's military exercises and access to the alliance's weapons. Not true, according to Hultqvist.
“Sweden is free from military alliances and we make our own decision. This was a false portrayal,” the Swedish minister noted.
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