THE Sweden will send one battalion at Latvia next year to contribute to its international strength NATO in this Baltic country, which borders Russia, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson announced today.

This is the first troop contribution announced by the Nordic country since it joined NATO in March.

Christerson said in January that Sweden would likely send a battalion to Latvia to bolster NATO’s presence.

“This morning the government formally assigned the Swedish Armed Forces the task of planning and preparing the Swedish participation of a small motorized battalion in the NATO ground forces in Latvia”Christerson said during a press conference with his Latvian counterpart, Evika Silina.

This battalion, which will operate for six months, will consist of 400 to 500 soldiers.

“Our aim is to contribute at the level of forces, including the CV90 and Leopard 2 tanks”added the Swedish prime minister.

“We are planning a deployment early next year following a decision by Parliament”he added.