Infosheet on NATO.
Short History:
The North Atlantic Treaties Organization was signed on April 4, 1949, by 12 independent states in order to create an alliance for mutual defense. four more nations joined with the treaty between 1952 and 1982. On March 12, 1999, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland also jouned, bringing the number of members to 19. The members of NATO are: Belgium, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, Portucal, Spain, Turkey, the USA, and Hungary. NATO's aim is to guarantee the security of its member countries. But from the first phase of reinforcement of the military structures, with the creation of bases, and of the unity of coordination of the Armed Forces, NATO has recently undertaken a route of relationships and collaborations on several fronts with non-NATO countries, which they have undertaken through the Noth Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC) formed in 1991, the Partnership for Peace (PFP) formed in 1994, and the Euro Atlantic Partnership Council in 1997. In 1997 was also the date of the first agreement in history of collaboration between NATO and Russia (which before the fall of the Wall had been the principal enemy of NATO). This treaty brings to the second phase the creation of international military peacekeeping forces, which would have to manage the critical situation of non-NATO conflict, in collaboration with countries and international organizations.
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