15Jun

What is NATO

NATO (NATO) or North Atlantic Alliance is a military-political alliance of several states, which is designed to ensure comprehensive security for the members of this association.

A Brief History of the Creation and Development of NATO

After the end of the bloody Second World War, most of Europe and many other countries of the world were in a certain economic decline. People were frightened by the events taking place in the world, and especially by the fact that in such a relatively short period of time as 50 years, 2 world wars occurred that claimed millions of human lives. From these events, humanity learned a certain lesson, which was the understanding that it is almost impossible to cope with aggressive opponents alone, and global security can only be ensured through joint efforts.

So on April 4, 1949, a military-political alliance was formed in Washington, consisting of 12 independent countries of North America and Europe. This union was called the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (in English - North Atlantic Treaty Organization - NATO). The essence of the treaty was to entrust each member of the union with the responsibilities of ensuring the security and support of other members of the treaty.

It should be noted that one of the important reasons for the creation of the North Atlantic Alliance was the policy of the USSR. Despite the fact that in the last war many countries acted as allies of the USSR in the fight against Nazi Germany, the post-war foreign policy and internal political regime of the Soviet Union raised serious concerns.

Without getting into all the technical details, over time the NATO bloc gradually expanded. Some countries left the union for a while and then re-entered it. An interesting fact is that the USSR also sought to join the North Atlantic Alliance in 1954, but the application was rejected for a number of reasons.

During the Cold War, NATO as a structure continued to actively develop, forming various substructures and committees and constantly increasing its military-political power. However, during this period the North Atlantic Alliance did not participate in any armed conflict.

For the first time, NATO military forces were involved in 1991 during the Iraq campaign. It should be noted that this intervention was fully authorized by the United Nations (UN). Thus, the forces of the NATO bloc underwent a baptism of fire and showed excellent results.

NATO goals and objectives.

As you can already understand from what you read earlier, the main goal of NATO is to provide protection from military aggression for all members of the alliance. This concept assumes the fact that an attack on one country from the NATO bloc will be considered an attack on the entire alliance, which will trigger appropriate countermeasures. An important factor in the formation of the goals and objectives of the organization is the absence of aggressive or aggressive motives. The Charter of the Union prohibits any manifestations of military expansion aimed at seizing the territories of other countries. Military force is used only when necessary to provide protection. The mandate for such actions is provided through general discussion and approval by all member countries of the union.

The activities of the North Atlantic Alliance also include: support for anti-terrorist forces, countering sea pirates and cyber security.

NATO headquarters.

It should be understood that the North Atlantic Alliance is a huge alliance consisting of many states and their armies themselves. It is for this reason that in many countries there are some kind of headquarters responsible for certain units. The main headquarters of the NATO Council is located in Belgium, namely in Brussels.

NATO countries or NATO bloc.

At the time of writing this article, the NATO bloc consists of 29 member countries. The list was compiled taking into account the years in which countries joined the union.

1949 - countries that founded the North Atlantic Alliance:

• Canada;
• Great Britain;
• France;
• Italy;
• Portugal;
• Norway;
• Netherlands;
• Iceland;
• Luxembourg;
• Denmark;
• Belgium.

1952:

• Greece;
• Türkiye.

1955:

• Germany.

1982:

• Spain.

1999:

• Poland;
• Czech Republic;
• Hungary.

2004:

• Lithuania;
• Latvia;
• Estonia;
• Bulgaria;
• Romania;
• Slovakia;
• Slovenia.

year 2009:

• Albania;
• Croatia.

2017:

• Montenegro.

NATO forces.

The definition of the expression “NATO Force” should not mean any specific army that is located entirely in a specific country. The very concept of the North Atlantic Alliance is structured in such a way that member countries, in accordance with established quotas, provide a certain number of soldiers and military equipment for the needs of the alliance. This means that, depending on the need, the staff of NATO armed forces can change in quantitative and technical terms. Thus, the alliance command can, in the shortest possible time, form the necessary military brigade required for a specific task.

In addition to using its own armed forces, the North Atlantic Alliance often resorts to the help of armies of partner countries that are not members of the bloc. This becomes possible through the conclusion of individual partnership agreements in the field of military support and cooperation.

Joining NATO.

At its core, joining NATO is not some particularly difficult and unattainable procedure. In fact, to obtain membership in the union, a country that wants to join must meet certain criteria. The list of which includes such aspects as: democratic values, transparent economic and political structure, financial solvency and the absence of territorial and ethnic conflicts.

If a country fulfills all the requirements, then its candidacy undergoes an approval procedure by all existing members of the bloc. In cases of general approval, the procedure for integration into the existing military-political union begins.

USA and NATO.

There is an incorrect stereotype that the United States is the leading country in the North Atlantic Alliance. Although the United States is indeed the strongest member of NATO in all respects, the alliance is governed solely by the vote of all participants. Even the fact that the United States provides the largest share of funding and military force does not allow us to independently initiate certain campaigns.

Ukraine - NATO.

As for Ukraine and its relations with NATO, everything is quite complicated. Partnership relations between Ukraine and the Alliance have been established for quite some time, namely since 1992. During this time, many meetings were held aimed at bringing closer together and closer cooperation in various fields of activity. However, the post-Soviet past has created a certain distrust among Ukrainian citizens towards the North Atlantic Alliance, and most likely it would be correct to say that the majority of the population did not want to join this alliance. The situation changed dramatically after the start of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. The country's government has officially decided that Ukraine will no longer adhere to non-aligned status and joining the North Atlantic Alliance becomes a priority. It should be noted that taking into account all the events, the population's opinion regarding NATO has changed dramatically. Now this government initiative is supported by the absolute majority of citizens. An amusing fact is that the Russian Federation, which has always welcomed Ukraine’s non-aligned status, through its own actions pushed it to join NATO.

Naturally, from the political will of Ukrainian leaders, joining the alliance will not happen miraculously, since there are territorial conflicts. But as you can see, thorough negotiations are underway on this issue, and there is a possibility that Ukraine will be able to gain membership bypassing this selection criterion. Time will show.

NATO today.

An amazing fact is that before the emergence of the terrorist threat from Islamist fanatics and the aggressive foreign policy actions of the Russian Federation, the NATO bloc experienced a period of certain stagnation and degradation. The world was practically at peace and there were no global threats. Many countries gradually reduced funding due to the uselessness of maintaining large armies. Lately everything has changed. The North Atlantic Alliance has become necessary again. Large funding has resumed again and more and more countries want to join the bloc.

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70 years ago, Europe, exhausted by World War II, welcomed the spring of the long-awaited Victory over Nazism. For eyewitnesses of these events, who yesterday applauded the Red Army on the streets and squares of liberated European capitals, everything was extremely clear. The main contribution to the defeat of fascism was made by the Soviet Union, a state with a different social system. A state that suddenly became a leading player on the international stage.

The ruling elite of the United States and leading European countries, seriously frightened by the victorious march of socialism in Eastern Europe, listened carefully to W. Churchill’s speech on March 5, 1946 in Fulton (Missouri, USA) about the declaration of the Cold War. President Truman threatens to use atomic weapons against the USSR. General Eisenhower developed the Totality plan - a plan for war with the USSR.

The first act in the Cold War was the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). On April 4, 1949, twelve countries: the USA and Canada and 10 European countries (Belgium, France, Great Britain, Iceland, Holland, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Norway) created joint collective security forces.

The first secretary general of the alliance stated that the military-political bloc was created in order to “contain the penetration of Russians into Western Europe and America.” Although there were no grounds for such a statement. Firstly, I. Stalin refused to support the pro-communist uprisings in 1948 in Greece, and secondly, the main ideologist of the permanent revolution, Leon Trotsky, was killed by Mercader back in 1940. However, Harry Truman did not trust Moscow and considered the events in Greece, as well as in Vietnam with the real advance of communism.

The second shock for the West was the creation of a military-political union of Eastern European countries - the Warsaw Pact in 1955. The pact was perceived by the United States as proof of the aggressive intentions of the USSR. Over its 66-year history, NATO has expanded 6 times and now has 28 members (Greece and Turkey joined it in 1952, Germany (FRG) three years later; united Germany since 1990), Spain in 1982, Spain in 1999 Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, in 2004 - Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, in 2009 - Albania and Croatia). Please note that the alliance includes states far removed from the Atlantic Ocean, such as Turkey and the former Baltic republics of the USSR. Georgia and Ukraine are still eager to come under the NATO umbrella

The headquarters of the organization is located in Brussels (Belgium). The highest body is the NATO Council; in addition, the Military Planning Committee, which includes the defense ministers of the member countries of the bloc, meets twice a year. The number of military personnel according to 2010 data was 3.8 million people. Maintaining such an army armada is very expensive. Of course, the lion's share of military spending falls on the United States (72% or 4.4% of GDP), the remaining participants account for 1.4% of their countries' GDP. Unofficially, members of the military bloc must spend at least 2% of GDP on defense. However, only Great Britain, Estonia and Greece fulfill this requirement. But such a distribution of costs makes it possible for the United States to unconditionally dominate the alliance and dictate its policy.

The aggressive nature of the military-political alliance and its anti-Russian orientation were especially evident during the collapse of the world socialist system, the abolition of the Warsaw Pact and the collapse of the USSR. Instead of dissolving its “defensive alliance,” NATO willingly accepted into its membership most of the former socialist allies on the western borders of the Russian Federation, and broke up the not very accommodating ones (Yugoslavia) into dwarf entities, deprived of any sovereignty.

The burden of military spending falls on the shoulders of European states, which are now going through difficult times. Europe is increasingly being drawn by Washington into various military adventures in the Near and Middle East, Asia and Africa. And all this against the backdrop of growing unemployment and poverty. Many European politicians are against serving foreign interests aimed at weakening stability in the world. Meanwhile, NATO, no longer hiding its intentions, is moving towards the Third World War, tightening the ring of its bases and weapons around the Russian Federation, imposing the need to increase military spending on the Russian economy, which has not yet strengthened after the shocks of the 90s.

Over the last decade, NATO has become an open instrument of US intervention in the internal affairs of sovereign states (Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Syria). In August 2008, with the full support of Washington, Georgia attacked Russian peacekeepers in South Ossetia and the civilian population of Tskhinvali. However, the United States and NATO leadership underestimated the strength and capabilities of Russia, which quickly defeated the armed Georgian formations.

A.F. Rasmussen, NATO Secretary General, in April 2014, announced the inevitability of additional defense spending in connection with the events in Ukraine. NATO headquarters, frightened by the annexation of Crimea and Sevastopol to Russia, are developing plans to repel Russian aggression, which allegedly seeks to divide Europe into spheres of influence.

The turn of the Western world from a policy of mutual cooperation and collective security to a policy of anti-Russian sanctions and confrontation indicates that we have entered a long-term period of confrontation with Europe and the United States. This confrontation can only be overcome by recognizing Russia’s right to defend its national interests independently, in accordance with international norms, without outside prompting. Unfortunately, in international relations only force is recognized when other arguments are powerless.

North Atlantic Alliance (NATO)

North Atlantic Alliance(NATO - North Atlantic Treaty Organization) can be called the most successful military-political alliance in history. This is evidenced by at least two circumstances. Firstly, the alliance has existed for more than 60 years and has expanded significantly during this time; secondly - and this is the most important thing - it has successfully survived the most unpleasant thing that can happen to a military-political alliance - the loss of an enemy. The Alliance has changed its mission, which is reflected in its strategic concepts and practical activities, as discussed below.

Creation of NATO and its activities during the Cold War

The prerequisites for the creation of NATO in 1949 can be characterized as follows. The first thing you should pay attention to is the peculiarities of the military-political position of the USSR in Europe after the Second World War. The Soviet army was the strongest compared to the armies of other European states, and the Americans actually left Europe at the end of the war. The geopolitical positions of the USSR were strengthened even on the eve of the Great Patriotic War due to territorial expansions in the Baltic states, Western Ukraine and Belarus. The Soviet Union had serious influence on the communist parties of Eastern Europe.

All these circumstances became the reason for W. Churchill's strategic speech in the American city of Fulton in 1946, which spoke of the danger that threatened Western democracy - the recent ally of the USSR in World War II - from the Soviet Union. This speech by the famous British politician went down in history as Churchill’s “Fulton speech,” which, according to historians, marked the beginning of the Cold War.

The next important step on the path of the military-political alliance between Europe and the United States was the Marshall Plan, initiated in 1947 by the United States, the purpose of which was to “pump up” Europe with financial resources to restore the economy destroyed by World War II. This was important for the United States because, as the most developed economic power in the world, it needed a trade and financial partner. Considerable amounts of money were invested: over the course of four years, Americans allocated about 2% of their GDP.

Events developed rapidly. In 1948, with the active role of the USSR, pro-Soviet regimes were established in Eastern European countries. In the same year, the Soviet Union organized a blockade of West Berlin, which was located on the territory of Soviet-controlled East Germany.

All these events ultimately led to the reaction of Western Europe, which was expressed in the conclusion of the Brussels Treaty of 1948 between Great Britain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The treaty was of a defensive nature and considered the USSR and its allies as opponents. In 1954 the treaty was renamed the Western European Union (WEU).

However, almost immediately all parties to the Brussels Treaty felt that in case of unforeseen circumstances their forces for self-defense would not be enough. Therefore, an appeal followed to the United States with a request to join the European countries.

The reaction of then American President Harry Truman was mixed. On the one hand, Europeans were the economic and political allies that Americans needed to prosper in the postwar world. But, on the other hand, it was necessary to again “get involved” in European affairs, which the United States did not like and tried to avoid at that period of history. In addition, America's tradition was not to enter into military alliances in times of peace. Finally, Truman was dominated by the authority of F. Roosevelt, who knew how to find a common language with Stalin, and the current US President did not want to look worse and take actions that could be regarded as hostile in the USSR. However, in 1949 the North Atlantic Treaty was concluded in Washington.

The main goal of the Washington Treaty was supposed to be collective defense as the principle of protection from an external enemy (Article 5). The essence of the article is that an attack on one member of the alliance is considered an attack on the entire alliance. To date, this key article of the Washington Treaty has not been fully invoked even once (partially during the terrorist attack on the United States on September 11, 2001). Additionally, the Treaty assumes the absence of geopolitical and ethnic conflicts between its parties. This was one of the important reasons for resolving the conflict between Greece and Turkey (over the division of Cyprus), between a number of countries in the Eastern

Europe that became NATO members after the end of the Cold War.

In 1955, a counterweight to NATO was created - the military-political bloc of the socialist camp of the Department of Internal Affairs. NATO and the Warsaw Division opposed each other and, in essence, the logic of the Cold War, played similar roles in international politics. Both were powerful military "fists" seeking to ensure the safety of their members. However, there were significant differences in the activities of these two organizations.

First, reference should be made to the “French phenomenon,” which reflects the internal democratic character of NATO in contrast to the Warsaw Warsaw. Let us dwell on the “phenomenon of France” in more detail. The rapid growth of the military-technical potential of the Soviet Union, evidenced by the launch in 1957 of the first artificial Earth satellite, simultaneously with which the USSR successfully tested intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of striking American territory, meant the loss of the United States of its former strategic invulnerability. This forced the US's European partners in NATO to doubt the US's readiness to automatically use nuclear weapons against the USSR in the event of an attack by the latter on Western European countries. This could not but affect the position of Western European countries in the context of their policies within NATO. France performed most clearly. After coming to power in 1958, the new French President Charles de Gaulle put forward a plan for reforming the North Atlantic bloc. This demarche provoked an American-French conflict, which manifested itself in other areas of relations between the two countries. For the functioning of NATO, it meant that France left the military structure of the organization in 1966. Drawing a parallel with the Department of Internal Affairs, I would like to note that this step by France turned out to be quite possible, despite all this, France remained in the political structures of NATO, and after the end of the Cold War - in 1995 - returned to the military component of the organization.

In the long term, harmony prevails over conflict in relations between members of the North Atlantic Alliance. How do you manage to extinguish contradictions and restore a consensual type of relationship between allies? The permanent presence of a common enemy, threatening the real or eventual security of NATO countries, plays a role in this. At the beginning of the 21st century. International terrorism has assumed this role. Consequently, the states included in the bloc have always had common tasks. Equally important, the North Atlantic Alliance has a flexible political and military structure that allows it to quickly adapt to a changing environment. Finally, it should be noted that there is a common political culture of compromise and a consensual type of relationship.

Secondly, NATO has never brought order within its ranks by military force. This applies to the “French phenomenon” and to other contradictions that arose both during the Cold War (the Suez crisis of 1956) and after its end (for example, during the war in Yugoslavia in 1999, when the European allies of the United States refused to support a possible alliance ground operation against Serbia, or during the US-British intervention against Iraq in 2003). This is very different from the internal policy of the Department of Internal Affairs: 1956 - events in Hungary, 1968 - events in Czechoslovakia, 1980 - events in Poland. Soviet troops, as part of the Internal Affairs Troops, in conjunction with the troops of other states of the organization, carried out military operations or were ready for this (Poland) in response to all kinds of anti-Soviet policies of these states.

Thirdly, the Warsaw Division disintegrated immediately after the fall of the Berlin Wall, even before the collapse of the USSR, in July 1991. Meanwhile, NATO only continues to increase its numbers. The expansion began during the Cold War, and by its end NATO numbered 16 states. Today, the number has almost doubled - 28 states, and only at the expense of the Eastern European states and the Baltic countries, many of which were former allies or even part of the USSR. Let us leave open the question of the impact of such large-scale numerical growth on the effectiveness of the organization. Here it is important for us to emphasize the attractiveness of NATO for many countries in the context of modern international politics.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) is an association of European countries, the USA and Canada to defend their interests on the world stage. It was originally conceived as a means of countering the possible ambitions of the Soviet Union. However, with the collapse of the latter, it did not sink into oblivion, but continued to expand due to the entry of more and more member countries and finding its unprotected interests in the most remote parts of the world.

How NATO came into being

The history of the creation of NATO began with five European states that signed the Brussels Treaty. Afterwards, the countries' defensive systems were weakened. It became possible to escape from greedy neighbors only together. Great Britain, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands have developed a common defense system. Then they decided to invite the United States and Canada to their endeavors. This resulted in the creation of a military-political bloc of 12 countries on April 4, 1949.

From 1950 to 1952, the formation of the organization took place. General troops were formed and trained, all kinds of committees and administrative entities were created, internal treaties were signed and ratified, and the legal basis for the Transatlantic Alliance was laid. Actually, in 1952, the first expansion of membership began: the Greeks and their opponents the Turks asked to join the union.

The year 1954 was notable for the fact that NATO did not take the Soviet Union into its sandbox, which also expressed a desire to be a full participant and defender of the interests of the alliance. The latter had to hastily form his own defensive military formation. So in 1955, the Department of Internal Affairs appeared, uniting the Union with Eastern Europe. At the same time, West Germany was connected to NATO, after which the question of expansion was not positively opened for many years.

Due to the changing map of the world, when the Soviet Union broke up into separate states, NATO has renewed interest in possible new members of the eastern part of Europe. Earlier, in 1982, the alliance accepted Spain. In 1999, the membership expanded to three more states: Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Poland. The most fruitful year was 2004, when as many as 7 countries joined the North Atlantic Alliance. In 2009 – two more. Today NATO consists of 2 North American countries and 26 European countries. Consultation work is underway on the admission of new countries to the alliance.

NATO objectives and their changes

NATO member countries set their main goals as their freedom and security, which must be achieved by methods that do not contradict UN resolutions. Initially, the alliance was not an offensive alliance. Among the tasks were the prevention of the emergence of Nazism, the protection of freedoms, democracy, and the integrity of territorial borders. In 1995, for the first time, it used its united troops on foreign territory. In 1999, NATO changed policy. Military force has become not a defensive shield, but an intelligible argument on any issues that the alliance considers important.

NATO's challenges today

• to be a guarantor of stability in your region, including in matters of economics and energy security;
• be a security consultant for all countries of the world;
• identify and contain the threat of geopolitical change;
• resolve crisis situations;
• develop foreign policy relations.

In 2010, the North Atlantic Alliance set its sights on the position of judge, wanting to become the global guardian of peace throughout the world by 2020. Within the framework of your interests, of course.

NATO military bases in Europe, Africa and Asia

Historically, any military facilities of individual members of the NATO alliance can be used by NATO troops themselves. The largest concentration of the organization's bases, and not member states, is located in Europe. Here are headquarters, training grounds, air bases, garrisons, and structures that ensure the work of the entire organization.

The leaders and holders of military facilities are:

• Italy - hosts headquarters, a naval air base, a forward deployment base, several conventional air bases, a research center and several training bases.
• Germany - headquarters, military bases, air bases, garrison, command and education.
• France - air bases.
• Great Britain - headquarters, air bases, computer center, ammunition protection system.
• Greece - port, air bases, missile range, naval base, training center.

There are European member states that do not have NATO military installations on their territory:

Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, mainland Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Croatia, Czech Republic.

However, in view of recent events, a project to locate 5 bases in Eastern Europe is being considered. A separate cohort includes countries that are not members of the alliance, but have NATO military facilities:

• Serbia
• Macedonia
• Bosnia and Herzegovina.

There are few direct NATO bases on the territory of African countries - military facilities of the former colonies of France and Great Britain (Senegal, Gabon, South Africa), US bases, or military centers in the southern part of Europe are used to conduct operations. The war in Libya and Egypt created the preconditions for establishing its facilities in this territory to promote peace.

NATO is actively negotiating with African countries with a view to including them in partnership relations - this is about 50 states - which will make it possible to conduct, among other things, joint military operations and open new strategic facilities controlled by the alliance on the territory of partners.

The North Atlantic Alliance is known for its interests in the Asian part of the world. Among the countries of Central Asia are Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan, which host NATO military facilities. All the states that are now considered “hot spots” of the world or in which there were battles - Iran, Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan - do not stand aside either.

There is not a single country in the central region that has not conducted troop reform programs according to NATO standards with the participation of its instructors.

Results

These days, NATO, due to its changed concept, is increasingly associated with an aggressor organization that regularly violates UN resolutions and starts wars on the territories of other states. The alliance continues to expand, despite experiencing difficulties during the recent financial crisis.

The limiting factor that does not give NATO total control over the world order are Russia, China and their numerous external security partners, who also defend their interests in the regions. The struggle for influence in African countries and the Middle East continues.

1949
Bulgaria 2004
UK 1949
Hungary 1999
Germany 1955
Denmark 1949
Spain 1982
Iceland 1949
Italy 1949
Canada 1949
Latvia 2004
Lithuania 2004
Luxembourg 1949
Netherlands 1949
Norway 1949
Poland 1999
Portugal 1949
Romania 2004
Slovakia 2004
Slovenia 2004
USA 1949
Türkiye 1952
France 2009
Croatia 2009
Czech Republic 1999
Estonia 2004

Greece - joined in 1952, withdrew in 1974, maintaining representation in a number of NATO bodies.
France - joined in 1949, withdrew from the NATO military organization in 1966, but continued to take part in the activities of its political bodies. In 2009 it re-joined NATO.

The purpose of the organization is to ensure the collective security of its members in the European-Atlantic region; an attack on one of the organization’s members is considered an attack on the union as a whole. According to NATO's charter, it is open to the entry of new members capable of developing the principles of the treaty and contributing to collective security. NATO's activities include promoting international cooperation and actions aimed at preventing conflicts between its members and partner members, protecting the values ​​of democracy, individual freedom, free enterprise economics and the rule of law.

There are a number of programs within NATO, among them the most important is the Partnership for Peace, the political basis of which is the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC), which includes 46 countries, including Ukraine and Russia (the latter suspended its participation in the EAPC after the decision NATO announced military intervention in Kosovo in March 1999, but partially resumed it in February 2000). After the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, when the World Trade Center skyscrapers were destroyed in New York, NATO created a special structure to combat terrorism. Efforts to bring NATO and Russia closer have been renewed, as reflected in the “Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security between the Russian Federation and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization,” signed in Paris in May 1997 by President B.N. Yeltsin and the heads of state and government NATO countries. One of the most important areas is also cooperation with seven Mediterranean countries - Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.

NATO's highest governing body is the North Atlantic Council; purely military issues are dealt with by the Military Planning Committee. In its activities, NATO is guided by the “Strategic Concept of the Alliance” adopted by the heads of state and government at the session of the North Atlantic Council in Washington on April 23–24, 1999. NATO headquarters is located in Brussels (Belgium).

More detailed information about the principles of the alliance, its activities and fundamental documents can be found on the website www.nato.int.

ANNEX 1

North Atlantic Treaty

The contracting parties reaffirm their faith in the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and their desire to live in peace with all peoples and governments.

The contracting parties are determined to defend the freedom, common heritage and civilization of their peoples, based on the principles of democracy, individual liberty and the rule of law. The contracting parties pursue the goal of strengthening stability and increasing prosperity in the North Atlantic region. The contracting parties are determined to unite their efforts in order to create collective defense and maintain peace and security. The Contracting Parties have therefore reached agreement on the following North Atlantic Treaty:

Article 1

The contracting parties undertake, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, to settle peacefully all international disputes to which they may become parties, without endangering international peace, security and justice, and to refrain from any use or threat of use of force in their international relations, if this contradicts the goals of the UN.

Article 2

The contracting parties will promote the further development of international relations of peace and friendship by strengthening their free institutions, achieving greater understanding of the principles on which they are based, and promoting the creation of conditions of stability and prosperity. The contracting parties will strive to eliminate contradictions in their international economic policies and promote the development of economic cooperation between any of them and among themselves in general.

Article 3

In the interests of more effectively implementing the objectives of this Treaty, the Contracting Parties, individually and jointly, through constant and effective independent efforts and mutual assistance, will maintain and increase their individual and collective capabilities to combat armed attack.

Article 4

The Contracting Parties will always consult each other if, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the Contracting Parties is threatened.

Article 5

The Contracting Parties agree that an armed attack on one or more of them in Europe or North America will be considered an attack on them as a whole and, therefore, agree that in the event of such an armed attack, each of them , in exercise of the right of individual or collective self-defense recognized by Article 51 of the Charter of the United Nations, will assist the Contracting Party subjected or Contracting Parties subjected to such attack by immediately taking such individual or joint action as it deems necessary, including the use armed force with the aim of restoring and subsequently maintaining the security of the North Atlantic region.

Any such armed attack and all measures taken as a result thereof shall be immediately reported to the Security Council. Such measures will cease when the Security Council has taken the measures necessary to restore and maintain international peace and security.

Article 6

For the purposes of Article 5, an armed attack against one or more Contracting Parties shall be deemed to include an armed attack:

to the territory of any of the Contracting Parties in Europe or North America, the Algerian departments of France, the territory of Turkey or the islands located in the North Atlantic area north of the Tropic of Cancer and subject to the jurisdiction of any of the Contracting Parties;

to the armed forces, ships or aircraft of any of the Contracting Parties, if those armed forces, ships or aircraft were in or over those territories, or in or over another area of ​​Europe, if on or in them at the time of the entry into force of this Treaty, occupation forces of any of the Contracting Parties were stationed either in or above the Mediterranean Sea, or in or above the North Atlantic zone north of the Tropic of Cancer.

Article 7

This Treaty does not in any way affect or be interpreted as affecting in any way the rights and obligations of Contracting Parties that are Members of the United Nations under the Charter of the United Nations or the primary responsibility of the Security Council for the maintenance of international peace and security.

Article 8

Each Contracting Party declares that none of its existing international obligations in relation to any other Contracting Party, or any third state, are inconsistent with the provisions of this Treaty, and undertakes not to undertake any international obligations that are contrary to this Treaty .

Article 9

The Contracting Parties hereby establish a Council on which each of them shall be represented to consider issues relating to the implementation of this Treaty. The Council shall be organized in such a way as to be able to meet quickly at any time. The Council undertakes to create subsidiary bodies as may be necessary; in particular, he undertakes to immediately establish a Defense Committee, which is to make recommendations regarding measures aimed at implementing Articles 3 and 5.

Article 10

The Contracting Parties may, by common consent, invite any other European state capable of developing the principles of this Treaty and contributing to the security of the North Atlantic region to accede to this Treaty. Any State receiving such an invitation may become a Contracting Party by depositing an instrument of accession to this Treaty with the Government of the United States of America. The Government of the United States of America will notify each of the Contracting Parties of the deposit with it of each such instrument of accession.

Article 11

This Treaty is subject to ratification and its provisions to implementation by the Contracting Parties in accordance with their respective constitutional procedures. The instruments of ratification shall be promptly deposited with the Government of the United States of America, which shall notify all other States signatories of this Treaty of each such deposit. The Treaty shall enter into force with respect to States which have already ratified it upon the deposit of the instruments of ratification of a majority of the States Signatories, including the instruments of ratification of Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, the United States and France, and shall become effective in respect of other States upon the deposit of their instruments of ratification

Article 12

Upon the expiration of the ten-year term of this Treaty or at any time thereafter, the Contracting Parties undertake, at the request of any of the Contracting Parties, to hold joint consultations with a view to revising this Treaty, taking into account factors affecting peace and security in the North Atlantic region at that time, including the development, in accordance with the UN Charter, of global and regional measures to maintain universal peace and security.

Article 13

Upon the expiration of the twenty-year term of this Treaty, any Contracting Party may withdraw from it one year after it has notified the Government of the United States of America of its termination of this Treaty, which shall notify the Governments of all other Contracting Parties of the delivery to it for safekeeping of each notice of termination of this Treaty. Agreement.

Article 14

This Treaty, the English and French texts of which are equally authentic, shall be deposited in the archives of the Government of the United States of America. Duly certified copies of this Treaty will be transmitted by the above-mentioned Government to the governments of the other States signatories to this Treaty.

APPENDIX 2

NATO-RUSSIA COUNCIL MEETING AT THE LEVEL OF HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT IN LISBON NOVEMBER 20, 2010

We, the heads of state and government of the member countries of the Russia-NATO Council, at our meeting today in Lisbon, declared that we have begun a new stage of cooperation leading to a genuine strategic partnership.

We have reaffirmed all the objectives, principles and commitments contained in Founding Act, Rome Declaration And Charter for European Security OSCE 1999, including the Platform for Co-operative Security, and recognized that the security of all states in the Euro-Atlantic community is indivisible, and that the security of NATO and Russia is interconnected. We will work towards achieving a truly strategic and modernized partnership, based on the principles of mutual trust, transparency and predictability, with the aim of contributing to the creation of a common space of peace, security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic region. Member States of the NRC will refrain from the threat or use of force against each other or against any other State, its sovereignty, territorial integrity or political independence in any form inconsistent with the UN Charter and contained in the Helsinki Final Act Declaration of Principles, which will guide the participating states in their mutual relations.

NRC member states are committed to working as 29 equal partners to realize the enormous potential of the NATO-Russia Council through the consistent development of political dialogue and practical cooperation based on common interests. We emphasize that the NATO-Russia Council is a forum for political dialogue in all circumstances and on all issues, including those on which we differ. We are committed to fully utilizing the NRC mechanism for consultation, consensus-building, cooperation, joint decisions and joint action on a wide range of security issues in the Euro-Atlantic region. We all agree that for the benefit of the NRC member states is a forward-looking and transparent policy aimed at strengthening security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic space, including through the use of existing institutions and instruments. We strongly support restoring the viability and modernization of the conventional arms control regime in Europe and stand ready to continue dialogue on arms control, disarmament, and nonproliferation issues of concern to the NRC. We welcome the conclusion of the New START Treaty and look forward to its early ratification and entry into force. The member states of the NRC are committed to promoting peace for all and creating conditions that will enable a world free of nuclear weapons, in accordance with the goals Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons(NPT) in a manner that contributes to international stability and on the basis of the principle of not compromising the security of all.

Today we approved Joint review of common security challenges of the 21st century, which we started working on a year ago. We have important common interests and we face common challenges. On this basis, we have identified specific activities for practical cooperation.
We agreed to discuss continued cooperation in the field of missile defense. We agreed to jointly assess the threat posed by ballistic missiles and to continue dialogue in this area. The NRC will also resume cooperation on theater missile defense. We have directed the NRC to develop a comprehensive joint analysis of the future framework for missile defense cooperation. Progress on this analysis will be reviewed at the NRC Defense Ministers meeting in June 2011.

We emphasized the importance of international efforts in support of the Government of Afghanistan and to strengthen peace and stability in the region. In this context, the updated agreements to further facilitate the rail transit of non-lethal ISAF cargo through Russian territory are of particular value. Based on the success of the NRC's counternarcotics training project, we welcome the inclusion of Pakistan as a participating country along with Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. We also agreed to expand the project to provide further direct support to the strengthening of relevant government structures in close cooperation with the governments sending employees for training. In addition, to facilitate more efficient use of the Afghan Air Force's helicopter fleet, we also mandated the establishment of an NRC helicopter maintenance trust fund in 2011.

The NRC will strengthen counterterrorism cooperation, including joint development of explosives detection technology,1 countering terrorist threats to civil aviation,2 and sharing information on terrorism-related issues. The Russian Federation confirmed its interest in resuming support for NATO's counter-terrorism operation Active Endeavor in the Mediterranean.

As piracy and armed robbery at sea continue to pose a significant and growing threat to maritime safety, NRC member states will expand existing cooperation at the tactical level, including through joint training and exercises.

Improving our relations will help resolve issues on which our views differ. Building on our shared agenda of cooperation, we, the heads of state and government of the NRC member countries, have agreed to further expand and deepen dialogue and practical cooperation between NATO and Russia, and to build on the NATO-Russia partnership, which enhances security for all in the Euro-Atlantic area and beyond.

1. Project on remote detection of explosives (STANDEX)
2. Airspace Cooperation Initiative (ACI)