NATO formed the backbone of the Wests military bulwark against the USSR and its allies for the next 40 years, with its membership growing larger over the course of the Cold War era. Ireland continued their policy of military neutrality during the Cold War, and after it ended, joined NATO's Partnership for Peace (PfP) program and Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) in 1999. [296][297][298], Some individuals have proposed expanding NATO outside of Europe, although doing so would require amending Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which specifically limits new membership to "any other European State in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area. [209] NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has stated that NATO membership is still an option for Ukraine,[210] and support for NATO membership has risen to 64 percent in government-controlled Ukraine according to a July 2015 poll. [275], The current Prime Minister of Moldova, Dorin Recean, supports European Union membership, but not NATO membership. NATO would defend these countries if they were threatened or attacked. But Germany has been reluctant to join the West's more robust posture. [276] The second largest alliance in the parliament of Moldova, the Electoral Bloc of Communists and Socialists, strongly opposes NATO membership. [224] In 2000, Russian President Vladimir Putin floated the idea of Russia potentially joining NATO. [301] In June 2013, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos stated his hope that Colombia's cooperation with NATO could result in NATO membership, though his Foreign Minister, Juan Carlos Pinzon, quickly clarified that Colombia is not actively seeking NATO membership. [143], The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine led to Finland and Sweden applying for membership on 18 May 2022. NATO is an Alliance that consists of 31 independent member countries. An expansion of NATO came with German reunification on 3 October 1990, when the former East Germany became part of the Federal Republic of Germany and of the alliance. In May 2003, it joined with Albania and Macedonia to form the Adriatic Charter to support each other in their pursuit of membership. [clarification needed] This position was maintained without much discussion during the Cold War. [158][159] When the eurosceptic nationalist Sweden Democrats adjusted their stance in December 2020 to allow for NATO membership if coordinated with neighboring Finland, a majority of the members of the Swedish Riksdag for the first time belonged to parties that were open to NATO membership,[160] and a motion to allow for future NATO membership passed the parliament that month by 204 votes to 145. The US feared that this would encourage West Germany to accept similar Soviet proposals for neutrality as a condition for German reunification. [148][149] In January 2023 and in view of the continued Turkish refusal to agree to Swedish NATO membership Jimmie Akesson of the Sweden Democrats reasoned that there were limits to how far Sweden would go to appease Turkey "because it is ultimately an anti-democratic system and a dictator we are dealing with". Bosnia and Herzegovina joined the Partnership for Peace in 2006, and signed an agreement on security cooperation in March 2007. NATO is a military alliance of thirty-one European and North American countries that constitutes a system of collective defense. Note that this is not considered by NATO to be an IPAP. During negotiations to end of the occupation, which were ongoing at the same time as Germany's, the Soviet Union insisted on the reunified country adopting the model of Swiss neutrality. After that date, NATO numbered 26 allies. [76], In June 2017, Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev signaled he would consider alternative names for the country in order to strike a compromise with Greece, settle the naming dispute and lift Greek objections to Macedonia joining the alliance. [97] The text of Article 10 was the origin for the April 1999 statement of a "NATO open door policy". Any State so invited may become a Party to the Treaty by depositing its instrument of accession with the Government of the United States of America. The final agreement signed by Russia and the west in September 1990 applied only to Germany. Find History on Facebook (Opens in a new window), Find History on Twitter (Opens in a new window), Find History on YouTube (Opens in a new window), Find History on Instagram (Opens in a new window), Find History on TikTok (Opens in a new window), https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/formation-of-nato-and-warsaw-pact. The prospect of a rearmed Germany was understandably greeted with widespread unease and hesitancy in western Europe, but the country's strength had long been recognized as necessary to protect . [258] In December 2018, Kosovar Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj stated that Kosovo will apply for NATO membership after the formation of the Kosovo Armed Forces. ", "Poll: Should Ireland give up its neutrality? North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), military alliance established by the North Atlantic Treaty (also called the Washington Treaty) of April 4, 1949, which sought to create a counterweight to Soviet armies stationed in central and eastern Europe after World War II. The alignment of nearly every European nation into one of the two opposing camps formalized the political division of the European continent that had taken place since World War II (1939-45). [260][257] United Nations membership, which Kosovo does not have, is considered to be necessary for NATO membership. [184] In May 2013, Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili stated that his goal was to get a Membership Action Plan (MAP) for his country from NATO in 2014. On 22 April 2010, NATO agreed to launch the Membership Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina, but with certain conditions attached. [105] The final accession process, once invited, involves five steps leading up to the signing of the accession protocols and the acceptance and ratification of those protocols by the governments of the current NATO members. [274], Moldova gained independence in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union. [41] By mid-1992, a consensus emerged within the administration that NATO enlargement was a wise realpolitik measure to strengthen Euro-American hegemony. However, according to a memorandum he prepared at the time he was discouraged from formally submitting a membership application by Deputy Secretary General of NATO James A. Roberts. [98], As NATO Secretary General Willy Claes noted, the 1995 study did not specify the "who or when,"[99] though it discussed how the then newly formed Partnership for Peace and North Atlantic Cooperation Council could assist in the enlargement process,[100] and noted that on-going territorial disputes could be an issue for whether a country was invited. Events of the following year prompted American leaders to adopt a more militaristic stance toward the Soviets. [192], Ukraine's present and future relationship with NATO has been politically divisive, and is part of a larger debate between Ukraine's political and cultural ties to both the European Union and Russia. History in the making: On 23 October 1954 the North Atlantic Council invited Germany to join the Alliance ( NATO) West Germany's accession to NATO 50 years ago on 6 May 1955 took place against the backdrop of both East-West conflict and the project of European integration. All Rights Reserved. Additionally, Canadian Foreign Minister Mlanie Joly also held talks with Turkey to convince the Turkish government of the need for the two Nordic nations' integration. . Joining the USSR in the alliance were Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, the German Democratic Republic (East Germany), Hungary, Poland and Romania. Greece and Turkey were admitted in 1952, the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) in 1955 and Spain in 1982. The discussions between the Western nations concluded on April 4, 1949, when the foreign ministers of 12 countries in North America and Western Europe gathered in Washington, D.C., to sign the North Atlantic Treaty. On 1 February 2023, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoan announced that he had a positive view of Finland's membership, and a negative view of Sweden's membership due to the Qur'an burning incidents in Sweden. It was established in 1955 in response to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Did you know? [183] Complications in the relationship between NATO and Georgia includes the presence of Russian military forces in internationally recognized Georgian territory as a result of multiple recent conflicts, like the 2008 Russo-Georgian War over the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, both of which are home to a large number of citizens of the Russian Federation. When Soviet leaders found it necessary to use military force to put down revolts in Hungary in 1956 and in Czechoslovakia in 1968, for example, they presented the action as being carried out by the Warsaw Pact rather than by the USSR alone. [1] Finland officially joined on 4 April 2023, while the ratification process for Sweden is in progress. [305] France's Foreign Ministry responded to this by reiterating the limitations of Article 10 on new membership, and suggested that Brazil could instead seek to become a Global Partner of NATO, like Colombia. LVIII of 1974 Constitution of Malta (Amendment) (No. [10] France, however, delayed the start of the process, in part on the condition that a referendum be held in Saar on its future status, and a revised treaty was signed on 23 October 1954, allowing the North Atlantic Council to formally invite West Germany. [284][285] In the years under Prime Minister Zoran ini the country (then Serbia and Montenegro) did not rule out joining NATO, but after ini's assassination in 2003 Serbia increasingly started preferring a course of military neutrality. First, only European states are eligible for new membership, and second, these states not only need the approval of all the existing member states, but every member state can put some criteria forward that have to be attained. Serbia was invited to and joined NATO's Partnership for Peace program during the 2006 Riga summit, and in 2008 was invited to enter the intensified dialog program whenever the country was ready. to Russia Joining NATO", "Vladimir Putin criticises NATO's presence in Eastern Europe, says 'they played us', "Russia does not rule out future NATO membership", "EXPLAINED: The history behind Austria's neutrality", "As Finland and Sweden consider Nato membership, Austria clings to neutrality", "Neutral Austria under pressure to get tougher on Russia", "Austria holds to neutrality tradition despite Nordic shift to Nato", "Majority of Austrians reject joining NATO", "NATO membership for Cyprus. The events led to the establishment of the Bundeswehr, the West German military, in 1955.The name Bundeswehr was a compromise choice suggested by former general Hasso von . ", "Time to join NATO? [236][237] The winner of Cyprus' presidential election in February 2013, Nicos Anastasiades, stated that he intended to apply for membership in the PfP program soon after taking over. [279] A poll in December 2018 found that, if given the choice in a referendum, 22% of Moldovans would vote in favor of joining NATO, while 32% would vote against it and 21% would be unsure. The Nato secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has said all member countries have agreed that Ukraine will eventually join the transatlantic military . [6] Joining the alliance is a debate topic in several other European countries outside the alliance, including Austria, Cyprus, Ireland, Malta, Moldova, and Serbia. [234] Neighbouring Greece and Turkey competed for influence in the newly independent Cyprus, with intercommunal rivalries and movements for union with Greece or partition and partial union with Turkey. Tracking the ratification process across the Alliance", "Erdogan says Turkey positive on Finland's NATO bid, not Sweden's", "Sweden: one of NATO's most active and effective partners", "Swedish center right in favor of NATO membership", "Sweden's Moderates make joining Nato their number one election pledge", "Majority in Swedish parliament backs 'NATO option' after Sweden Democrats shift", "SD svnger om Nato: "Vi behver g hand i hand med Finland", "SD-ledning fr mandat fr std till Natoanskan", "Nearly one-third of Swedes want to join Nato", "NATO's Image Improves on Both Sides of Atlantic", "NATO seen in a positive light by many across 10 member states", "Efter Rysslands invasion: Fler svenskar fr ett Natomedlemskap", "Majority of Swedes in favor of joining NATO -poll", "Sweden and Finland make moves to join Nato", "Sweden's ruling party backs joining NATO, paving way for bid", "Swedish Green Party Opposes Sweden Accession to NATO", "Swedish PM rejects referendum on possible NATO membership", "Sweden Makes Formal Decision to Apply for NATO Membership", "Russia threatens Finland and Sweden over potential NATO membership", "Erdogan says Turkey not supportive of Finland, Sweden joining NATO", "Erdogan says Swedish, Finnish delegations should not bother coming to Turkey", "Sweden blasts Turkish 'disinformation' as Erdoan delays NATO accession", "Swedish far-right leader calls Erdogan 'Islamist dictator', "Statement by President of Georgia Eduard Shevardnadze at the EAPC Summit", "Russia says Georgia war stopped NATO expansion", "Ivanishvili: We Will Get NATO MAP in 2014", "NATO unlikely to grant Georgia step to membership: diplomats", "NATO will not offer Georgia membership step, avoiding Russia clash", "Lavrov: If Georgia Joins NATO, Relations Will Be Spoiled", "Russian FM Lavrov supports resumption of flights to Georgia as Georgians 'realised consequences' of June 20", " ", "Georgia is not trying to appease Russia, its president tells Euronews", "Georgia facing tough questions with bid for EU membership", "President Gaparovi meets Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister", "Putin, at NATO Meeting, Curbs Combative Rhetoric", "Ukraine's Yanukovych: EU ties a 'key priority', "Ukraine vows new page in ties with Russia", "Ukraine's parliament votes to abandon Nato ambitions", "PM tells Ukrainians: No NATO membership, armed groups to disarm", "Obama says NATO needs to boost presence in eastern Europe", "Putin admits Russian forces were deployed to Crimea", "Ukraine to seek Nato membership, says PM Yatsenyuk", "Ukraine votes to drop non-aligned status", "Support for joining NATO considerably increases in Ukraine poll", "Russian aggression driving Ukrainians toward EU, NATO, poll finds", "Rada restores Ukraine's course for NATO membership as foreign policy priority", "Pledging reforms by 2020, Ukraine seeks route into NATO", "Ukraine pushes ahead with plans to secure NATO membership", " , ", "Ukraine calls for path into NATO after Russia masses troops", "The West's last war-time taboo: Ukraine joining NATO", "Analysis: Neutral Switzerland leans closer to NATO in response to Russia", "Between the European Union and NATO, Many Walls", "Putin Says 'Why Not?' The reunification of Germany in October 1990 brought the territory of the former East Germany into the Alliance. The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 led many former Warsaw Pact and post-Soviet states to initiate discussions about joining NATO. [240], Ireland was neutral during World War II, though the country cooperated with Allied intelligence and permitted the Allies use of Irish airways and ports. [41][42] In the absence of NATO enlargement, Bush administration officials worried that the European Union might fill the security vacuum in Central Europe, and thus challenge American post-Cold War influence. [150] [54] Hungary, Poland, and the Czech Republic officially joined NATO in March 1999. The European Union is an international economic and political alliance of 27 member countries, 19 of which use the euro as their official currency. The North Atlantic Treaty is the basis of the organization, and, as such, any changes including new membership requires ratification by all current signers of the treaty. The new democracies of Central and Eastern Europe were eager to guarantee their freedom by becoming integrated into Euro-Atlantic institutions. Stoltenberg stressed that earlier that year, the Allies agreed to further strengthen the NATO-Georgia partnership, and that NATO welcomed the progress made by Georgia in carrying out reforms, modernizing its armed forces and strengthening democracy. [112] Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia similarly received offers at the April 2008 Bucharest summit. [133], The Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina within Bosnia and Herzegovina has expressed willingness to join NATO, however, it faces consistent political pressure from Republika Srpska, the other political entity in the country, alongside its partners in Russia. [91] Most countries approved Finland's application throughout 2022, but Hungary and Turkey held out over disputes until early 2023, with the Hungarian parliament approving the application on 27 March, and the Turkish parliament approved the application on 31 March 2023. [277] This separatist issue could preclude Moldova from joining NATO. The so-called "parade of sovereignties" declared by republics in the Baltic and Caucasus regions of the Soviet Union and their War of Laws with the government in Moscow further fractured its cohesion. [123], A February 2017 poll showed that 59% of the country supports NATO membership, but results were very divided depending on ethnic groups. [282] It was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement in 1961. [110], In September 2006, Georgia became the second to be offered the Intensified Dialogue status, following a rapid change in foreign policy under President Mikhail Saakashvili,[111] and what they perceived as a demonstration of military readiness during the 2006 Kodori crisis. Debate within the American government as to whether enlargement of NATO was feasible or desirable began during the George H.W. These states protested strongly against the re-militarization of West Germany. [203], Following months of Euromaidan street protests that began because of his refusal to sign an Association Agreement with the European Union in favor of deals from Russia, President Yanukovych fled Kyiv in February 2014, ultimately to Russia, and parliament voted to remove him from his post. Democrats are somewhat more likely than Republicans to say the influence of a few key U.S. allies (such as France, Germany, NATO and the EU) is growing. [134], The conditions of the MAP, however, stipulated that no Annual National Programme[clarification needed] could be launched until 63 military facilities are transferred from Bosnia's political divisions to the central government, which is one of the conditions for the OHR closure. [95], Article 10 poses two general limits to non-member states. NATO welcomed West Germany as a member on 6 May 1955, a day after its status as an occupied country came to an end (the Bonn-Paris conventions came into effect on 5 May 1955). "[299], Christopher Sands of the Hudson Institute proposed Mexican membership of NATO in order to enhance NATO cooperation with Mexico and develop a "North American pillar" for regional security,[300] while Christopher Skaluba and Gabriela Doyle of the Atlantic Council promoted the idea as way to support democracy in Latin America. As part of an effort to assuage concerned groups, newly installed Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk addressed the topic in a speech on 18 March 2014, emphasizing that Ukraine was not seeking NATO membership. NATO invited North Macedonia to begin membership talks on 11 July 2018;[77] formal accession talks began on 18 October 2018. In February 1981, following a failed coup attempt, Leopoldo Calvo-Sotelo became Prime Minister and campaigned strongly for NATO membership, in part to improve civilian control over the military, and Spain's NATO membership was approved in June 1982. When the Labour Party regained power the following year, however, they withdrew Malta from both organizations. [223], Russia, Armenia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan are all members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a post-Soviet alternative military alliance. NATO's secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg has stated that the alliance fully respects Malta's position of neutrality, and put no pressure for the country to join the alliance.
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