The Ewald von Kleist Award of the Munich Security Conference has been awarded of Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and former Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson, as well as to Finnish President and Prime Minister, Sauli Niinisto and Sanna Marin, as "leading personalities in security politics who have made an outstanding contribution to international understanding and conflict resolution," the Swedish government said on Monday.
"We would like to honor your countries' historic, responsible, and coordinated decision to apply for NATO membership and bolster the Alliance's resilience. This decision and the process leading up to it - taking along the public and crossing party lines - serve as outstanding examples of the type of leadership we need in this ‘Zeitenwende’, this watershed moment. Swedish, European, and transatlantic security shall emerge stronger from the present crisis thanks to your political achievement and dedication," the government cited the awarding motivation.
