Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström resigns: I am only 50 years old, I want to work in other frameworks as well

(Patria) - Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billström announced that he will leave his post next week after nearly two years during which his traditionally neutral country joined NATO.

"With a mixture of sadness and pride, I informed the Prime Minister today that I will be leaving the post of Foreign Minister at the opening of parliament next week," Billström announced yesterday on platform X.

The 50-year-old, who became Foreign Minister in October 2022, said he would leave politics but had not decided what to do next.

"What I will do later is still open. But I am only 50 years old and I want to contribute and work hard in other frameworks," he said.

Billström, who was previously Minister for Migration, said he had been considering leaving for some time.

Det är med en blandning av vemod och stolthet som jag idag har meddelat statsministern att jag i samband med riksdagens öppnande på tisdag lämnar posten som utrikesminister.

Det har inte varit ett enkelt beslut men något som jag har tänkt på och processat under en tid. Jag har…

— Tobias Billström (@TobiasBillstrom) September 4, 2024

During his tenure at the head of Swedish diplomacy, Sweden finalized its accession to NATO after a lengthy process of convincing Turkey and Hungary, whose ratifications were necessary for Sweden to become a member.

Sweden thus abandoned two centuries of military non-alignment to become a member of NATO after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"We are in the most serious security situation since World War II," he stated, citing the war in Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East.

He wished his successor good luck, "who will therefore not be short of tasks."