[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. [144] The move met opposition from Turkey, which called for the Nordic countries to lift their non-existing arms sales ban on Turkey and to stop any support for groups which Turkey and others have labeled as terrorists, including the Kurdish militant groups Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) (that Sweden banned in 1984) and Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) and Democratic Union Party (Syria) (PYD) and People's Defense Units (YPG), and of the followers of Fethullah Glen, a US-based cleric accused by Turkey of orchestrating the failed 2016 Turkish coup d'tat attempt. But if you see something that doesn't look right, click here to contact us! 2023, A&E Television Networks, LLC. Following the end of the Franco regime, newly-democratic Spain chose to join NATO in 1982. The Government of the United States of America will inform each of the Parties of the deposit of each such instrument of accession. [197] At this summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in his last international speech before switching jobs with Medvedev, listed his grievances with NATO, and called Ukrainian membership "a direct threat" to his country. NATO was formed in 1949 with twelve founding members and has added new members nine times. Austria joined NATO's Partnership for Peace in 1995, and participates in NATO's Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. The European Union is an international economic and political alliance of 27 member countries, 19 of which use the euro as their official currency. [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. [39][38] This impression was later used by him as part of his justification for Russia's 2014 actions in Ukraine and the Russian Invasion of Ukraine in 2022. 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). Serbia and Belarus are the only European states which refused to impose sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia are expected to join in 2004. [135][136] The leadership of the Republika Srpska has opposed this transfer as a loss of autonomy. [260][257] United Nations membership, which Kosovo does not have, is considered to be necessary for NATO membership. When U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson (1893-1971) put his signature on the document, it reflected an important change in American foreign policy. [clarification needed] This position was maintained without much discussion during the Cold War. [30][31], By August 1993, Polish President Lech Wasa was actively campaigning for his country to join NATO, at which time Yeltsin reportedly told him that Russia did not perceive its membership in NATO as a threat to his country. [citation needed] While visiting Brussels in March 2010, he further stated that there would be no change to Ukraine's status as a member of the alliance's outreach program. Collective geopolitical action by NATO states. NATO is a military alliance of thirty-one European and North American countries that constitutes a system of collective defense. [12] In 1974, Greece suspended its NATO membership over the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, but rejoined in 1980 with Turkey's cooperation. States acceding to NATO replace Partnership for Peace membership with formal entry into the Alliance. Since re-joining, Malta has been building its relations with NATO and getting involved in wider projects including the PfP Planning and Review Process and the NATO Science for Peace and Security Program. [114] On 1 October 2008, Serbian Defence Minister Dragan utanovac signed the Information Exchange Agreement with NATO, one of the prerequisites for fuller membership in the Partnership for Peace program. [286][287] Serbia's Parliament passed a resolution in 2007 which declared their military neutrality until such time as a referendum was held on the issue. What is the EU, and how is it set up? 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. Like NATO, the Warsaw Pact focused on the objective of creating a coordinated defense among its member nations in order to deter an enemy attack. The role of Germany. On 30 September 2022, Ukraine formally submitted an application for NATO membership. [200][201] Then, on 3 June 2010 the Ukrainian parliament voted to exclude the goal of "integration into Euro-Atlantic security and NATO membership" from the country's national security strategy in a bill drafted by Yanukovych himself. It was established in 1955 in response to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). [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. In the aftermath of World War I and World War II, Soviet leaders felt very apprehensive about Germany once again becoming a military powera concern that was shared by many European nations on both sides of the Cold War divide. The 1994 Brussels Declaration reaffirmed the principles in Article 10 and led to the "Study on NATO Enlargement". [16][17] Following Franco's death in 1975, Spain began a transition to democracy, and came under international pressure to normalize relations with other western democracies. In practice, NATO formulates a common set of criteria, but for instance Greece blocked the Republic of Macedonia's accession to NATO for many years due to the disagreement over the use of the name Macedonia. Finland joined NATO on 4 April 2023. For example, about four-in-ten Democrats say NATO's influence in the world has been getting stronger in recent years (39%), compared with about three-in-ten Republicans (29%). [256] Kosovo submitted an application to join the PfP program in July 2012,[257] and Hoxhaj stated in 2014 that the country's goal is to be a NATO member by 2022. West Germany formally joined NATO on May 5, 1955, and the Warsaw Pact was signed less than two weeks later, on May 14. 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. Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader ultimately agreed in January 2008, as part of forming a coalition government with the HSS and HSLS parties, not to officially propose one. But Germany has been reluctant to join the West's more robust posture. We strive for accuracy and fairness. [235], The Parliament of Cyprus voted in February 2011 to apply for membership in the PfP program, but President Demetris Christofias vetoed the decision as it would hamper his attempts to negotiate an end to the Cyprus dispute and demilitarize the island. Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, Poland, and Romania were all signatories to the pact. As such, the Crown Colony of Malta shared the UK's international memberships, including NATO. [40][24], In February 1991, Poland, Hungary, and Czechoslovakia formed the Visegrd Group to push for European integration under the European Union and NATO, as well as to conduct military reforms in line with NATO standards. ", This page was last edited on 29 April 2023, at 15:14. [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. [278] Moldova's President Maia Sandu stated in January 2023 that there was "serious discussion" about joining "a larger alliance", though she didn't specifically name NATO. That month, a poll indicated 33% of Swiss supported NATO membership for Switzerland, and 56% supported increased ties with NATO. HISTORY reviews and updates its content regularly to ensure it is complete and accurate. [243] Ireland supplied a small number of troops to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan (20012014) and supports the ongoing NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR). "[176] As with neighboring Finland, the application was at least initially opposed by Turkey, which accused the two countries of supporting Kurdish groups PKK, PYD and YPG that Turkey views as terrorists,[177] and of the followers of Fethullah Glen, whom Turkey was accused of orchestrating the alleged unsuccessful 2016 Turkish coup d'tat attempt. Conflict between the Western nations (including the United States, Great Britain, France and other countries) and the Communist Eastern bloc (led by the Union of Soviet Socialists Republics or USSR) began almost as soon as the guns fell silent at the end of World War II (1939-45). In 1949, the prospect of further Communist expansion prompted the United States and 11 other Western nations to form the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). Though the Nationalists resumed the majority in parliament in 1998, Malta didn't rejoin the EAPC and PfP programs again until 2008, after the country had joined the European Union in 2004. It was believed that some NATO members, including the United Kingdom, were opposed to Maltese NATO membership. [275] They also participate in NATO's peacekeeping force in Kosovo. [289] In April 2011 Serbia's request for an IPAP was approved by NATO,[290] and Serbia submitted a draft IPAP in May 2013. That development was not well received by leaders of the Russian Federation and became a source of post-Cold War tension between the East and the West. There was also an internal security component to the agreement that proved useful to the USSR. During a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Kyiv on April 20, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that there is "no objective barrier" to inviting Ukraine to NATO, and security guarantees are needed now. [295] The Democratic Party abandoned its pro-NATO attitude, claiming the Partnership for Peace is enough. The Centre Party, for example, was officially opposed to NATO membership until September 2015, when party leadership under Annie Lf announced that they would motion to change the party policy to push for Sweden to join NATO at their next party conference. The second round of NATO enlargement, by which the Federal Republic . But NATO expands anyway - so first in the '90s with a few countries in central Europe, again in the 2000s to bring in even more countries further to the east, including a handful of former Soviet . Internal NATO reaction to these former Warsaw Pact countries was initially negative, but by the 1991 Rome summit in November, members agreed to a series of goals that could lead to accession, such as market and democratic liberalization, and that NATO should be a partner in these efforts. [6] Joining the alliance is a debate topic in several other European countries outside the alliance, including Austria, Cyprus, Ireland, Malta, Moldova, and Serbia. Kauranen A., Gray A. 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. [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. [229] Several politicians from the Austrian People's Party (VP), including Andreas Khol, the 2016 presidential nominee, have argued in favor of NATO membership for Austria in light of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine,[230] and Chancellor from 2000 to 2007, Wolfgang Schssel and his defense minister, Werner Fasslabend, both of the VP, supported NATO membership as part of European integration during their tenure. [82][83], For much of the Cold War, Finland's relationship with NATO and the Soviet Union followed the PaasikiviKekkonen doctrine, where the country joined neither the Western nor Eastern blocs. He does not want Ukraine integrated into the Euro-Atlantic structures of NATO or the EU, nor does he want a secure and democratic Ukraine on his doorstep. While 84% of those who identified as Bosniak or Croat supported NATO membership, only 9% of those who identified as Serb did. Osmani also criticized Aleksandar Vui, the President of Serbia, accusing him of using Milorad Dodik to "destroy the unity of Bosnia and Herzegovina". In May 1955, West Germany joined NATO, which was one of the conditions agreed to as part of the end of the country's occupation by France, the United Kingdom, and the United States, prompting the Soviet Union to form their own collective security alliance (commonly called the Warsaw Pact) later that month. [124] Turkey is thought to be the biggest supporter of Bosnian membership, and heavily influenced the decision. Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic became NATO members in 1999, amid much debate within NATO itself and Russian opposition. While the treaty itself did not commit Austria to neutrality, this was subsequently enshrined into Austria's constitution that October with the Declaration of Neutrality. 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). [112] Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia similarly received offers at the April 2008 Bucharest summit. On 2 October 2009, Haris Silajdi, the Bosniak Member of the Presidency, announced official application for Membership Action Plan. [306], Several other current NATO Global Partners have been proposed as candidates for full membership. [276] Following the 2014 annexation of Crimea by Russia, NATO officials warned that Russia might seek to annex Transnistria, a breakaway Moldovan region. After months of delays, it signed off on Finland's bid to join in March. Georgia's northern neighbor, Russia, opposed the closer ties, including those expressed at the 2008 Bucharest summit where NATO members promised that Georgia would eventually join the organization. [255], According to Minister of Foreign Affairs Enver Hoxhaj, integration with NATO is a priority for Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in 2008. The fall of the Berlin Wall is recognized to be the end of the Cold War and ushered in a new period for Europe and NATO enlargement. [55], At the 1999 Washington summit NATO issued new guidelines for membership with individualized "Membership Action Plans" for Albania, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, North Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia in order to standardize the process for new members. The USSR oversaw the installation of pro-Soviet governments in many of the areas it had taken from the Nazis during the war. At the 2008 Bucharest summit, Greece blocked a proposed invitation because it believed that its neighbor's constitutional name implies territorial aspirations toward its own region of Greek Macedonia. All articles are regularly reviewed and updated by the HISTORY.com team. Updated: April 20, 2023 | Original: April 14, 2010. ", "Defence Questions: Irish cooperation with NATO in Ukraine", "Door is open for Ireland to join Nato, says military alliance's chief", "David McCullagh blogs on Ireland's defence policy", "Ireland should change position on military neutrality, says academic", "Martina Anderson calls for Irish neutrality referendum amid fears over European militarisation", "Thirty-Eighth Amendment of the Constitution (Neutrality) Bill 2018", "Explainer: Would Ireland be required to have a referendum before joining Nato? [228] Shortly after West Germany's accession to NATO, the parties agreed to the Austrian State Treaty in May 1955, which was largely based on the Moscow Memorandum signed the previous month between Austria and the Soviet Union. Following the failure of the New Union Treaty, the leadership of the remaining constituent republics of the Soviet Union, starting with Ukraine in August 1991, declared their independence and initiated the dissolution of the Soviet Union, which was completed in December of that year. 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. [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. [2][3] Ukraine applied for NATO membership in September 2022 after Russia claimed to annex part of its territory. [121] The country then started the process of Intensified Dialogue at the 2008 Bucharest summit. This lineup remained constant until the Cold War ended with the dismantling of all the Communist governments in Eastern Europe in 1989 and 1990. The country's current constitution was adopted in 1994, and forbids the country from joining a military alliance, but some politicians, such as former Moldovan Minister of Defence Vitalie Marinua, have suggested joining NATO as part of a larger European integration. Serbia maintains close relations with Russia, due to their shared Slavic and Eastern Orthodox culture but also due to its support on the Kosovo issue. Over the course of the 1990s and early 2000s, NATO expanded three times: first to add the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland; then seven more countries even farther east, including the former . Little more than one week later, on 14 May 1955, the Soviet Union formed the Warsaw Pact, which included the German Democratic Republic (also known as East Germany). [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. "[25] Yeltsin was succeeded in 2000 by Vladimir Putin, who further promoted the idea that guarantees about enlargement were made in 1990, including during a 2007 speech in Munich. 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 . In 2014, pro-Russian unrest occurred in eastern Ukraine and Crimea was annexed by the Russian Federation in March. Unhappy with its role in the organization, France opted to withdraw from military participation in NATO in 1966 and did not return until 1995. The alliance provided a mechanism for the Soviets to exercise even tighter control over the other Communist states in Eastern Europe and deter pact members from seeking greater autonomy. On 22 April 2010, NATO agreed to launch the Membership Action Plan for Bosnia and Herzegovina, but with certain conditions attached. At a meeting at Camp David, Bush persuaded Kohl to push for a deal that allowed for a unified Germany to join NATO in full, with the simple caveat that only German troops, rather than foreign ones . [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. [41] There was further debate during the Presidency of Bill Clinton between a rapid offer of full membership to several select countries versus a slower, more limited membership to a wide range of states over a longer time span. [311] In 2014, in the run up to the self-determination referendum, the Generalitat de Catalunya published a memo suggesting an independent Catalonia would want to keep all of Spain's current foreign relationships, including NATO, though other nations, namely Belgium, have questioned whether quick membership for breakaway regions could encourage secessionist movements elsewhere.[312]. Events of the following year prompted American leaders to adopt a more militaristic stance toward the Soviets. All Rights Reserved. The 1995 NATO bombing of Bosnia and Herzegovina targeted the Bosnian Serb Army and together with international pressure led to the resolution of the Bosnian War and the signing of the Dayton Agreement in 1995. [271] Polling done by the island-nation's Ministry of Foreign Affairs found in February 2022 that 63% of those surveyed supported the island's neutrality, and only 6% opposed the policy, with 14% undecided. [29] The Westernization trend of many former Soviet allied states led them to privatize their economies and formalize their relationships with NATO countries, the first step for many towards European integration and possible NATO membership. [84], Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, opinion polling for the first time showed a clear majority of Finns supported joining NATO. The Soviet Union and its affiliated Communist nations in Eastern Europe founded a rival alliance, the Warsaw Pact, in 1955. The 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine reignited debate surrounding NATO membership in several countries. ", "Vui: Full support for the territorial integrity of Ukraine PHOTO / VIDEO English", "Serbia will not impose sanctions against Moscow, president says", "Serbia Supports Ukraine's Sovereignty But Opposes Sanctions on Russia, Vucic says", "Colombia Minister Says No to NATO Membership", "Qatar eyes full NATO membership: Defense minister", "Trump suggests admitting Brazil to NATO alliance", "France rejects Trump demand to give Brazil NATO membership", "Sprungbrett nach Westafrika David X. Noack", "Cape Verde plans security treaty with NATO", "Alex Salmond gains slim SNP vote for joining Nato", "The military implications of Catalonian secessionan update". East Germany (German: . Did you know? [196] Russian leaders like Prime Minister and President-Elect Dmitry Medvedev made clear their opposition to Ukraine membership, and leading up to the April 2008 Bucharest summit their emissary actively lobbied against a Ukrainian MAP. And nations that were once under the Soviet boot now sought to join NATO. [183], A nonbinding referendum in 2008 resulted in 77 percent of voters supporting NATO accession. Since then, NATO has led the Implementation Force and Stabilization Force, and other peacekeeping efforts in the country. [80] The Sobranie also ratified the treaty unanimously on 11 February 2020,[81] before North Macedonia became a NATO member state on 27 March 2020. 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. [195], In March 2008, under Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, Ukraine sent an official letter of application for a Membership Action Plan (MAP), the first step in joining NATO. [224] In 2000, Russian President Vladimir Putin floated the idea of Russia potentially joining NATO. [288] Relations with NATO were further strained following Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008, while it was a protectorate of the United Nations with security support from NATO. [166][167] A Novus poll conducted in late February 2022 found 41% in favor of NATO membership and 35% opposed. East Germany became a member of the Warsaw Pact when it was formed a few days later on 22 May 1955. Countries wishing to join must meet certain requirements and complete a multi-step process involving political dialog and military integration.