US President Barack Obama will visit Sweden early next month, the White House said on Wednesday. Obama will go to Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, on September 4 and 5 for his first visit to the Nordic kingdom, which White House spokesman Jay Carney called “a close friend and partner to the United States.” In a statement, Carney said that Sweden plays “a key leadership role” on the international stage, including in opening new trade and investment opportunities through the U.S.-EU Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, advancing clean technologies and promoting environmental sustainability. Sweden last hosted a US president in 2001, when George W. Bush attended a European Union (EU) summit there.