Asselborn said that if the Sweden and Finland decide to apply for Nato membership Luxembourg will give them its full support. Photo: MFA

Asselborn said that if the Sweden and Finland decide to apply for Nato membership Luxembourg will give them its full support. Photo: MFA

Foreign affairs minister Jean Asselborn (LSAP) said that Finland and Sweden are Nato’s closest partners as he expressed his support for the Nordic countries’ candidacies during an informal meeting of the transatlantic organisation.

The working dinner which took place in Berlin on 14 May marked the first informal meeting in Nato’s history. Swedish and Finnish foreign ministers Ann Linde and Pekka Haavisto took part in the discussions on national security and their countries’ future relations with Nato.

Following Finland’s president and prime minister announcing their support for Nato membership, Sweden’s governing social democrat party backed the idea as well. Asselborn said that if the two countries decide to apply for Nato membership Luxembourg will give them its full support.

"Finland and Sweden are already Nato's closest partners; they are EU Member States, mature democracies that make important contributions to Euro-Atlantic security,” said Luxembourg’s foreign policy chief.

Sweden’s change of course represents a significant development with prime minister Magdalena Andersson set to go to parliament looking for support for a Nato membership bid on Monday 16 May after she had rejected the idea as early as March.

The working lunch in Berlin saw ministers discuss issues related to the war in Ukraine including its consequences for Nato. All ministers expressed their support for the Ukrainian people.