The government of Sweden has officially decided that the country will apply for NATO membership after decades of neutrality. The announcement was made Monday by the country's Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, SVT reported.

"We are leaving one era and moving into another. We will inform NATO that we want to become a member of the Alliance," Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said at a press conference.

"Sweden has a lot to defend, and Sweden is best defended in NATO," Andersson said.

Almost all parties in parliament expressed their support for the membership application.