The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is the politico-military and security organization which links Europe and North America in the common effort to defend their freedom and democracy.
With the end of the Cold War, NATO remained a collective defense system, but also developed a partnership of nations which interact in the broader field of security cooperation. Such a partnership allowed the Alliance to successfully address the new threats.
Despite the fall of the Berlin wall, the threats to the European security did not disappear, but rather took new forms and dimensions. The conflicts initiated by Miloševic's dictatorial regime in the nineties, for example, proved that Europe and the US can only face the new threats effectively if they do it together. That was the basis for the establishment of a strategic relationship between NATO and the EU. Later developments, in first place the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington in 2001, confirmed the necessity of preserving the transatlantic Alliance, which should be adapted to the new circumstances.
The process of transformation of NATO developed in two directions. On one side, the Alliance enlarged to the East by integrating the former Warsaw Pact countries and getting rid of the old dividing lines from the Cold War. NATO's door remains open for other countries from South East Europe which share the principles of the Western democracies and stay ready to contribute to the collective defense.
NATO also developed a Partnership for Peace which includes 46 nations from Europe and the former USSR. Special relations have been established with the Russian Federation and Ukraine, as well. NATO also intends to intensify the cooperation with North Africa and Middle East's countries participation in the Mediterranean Dialogue.
On the other side, the Alliance embarked itself in a process of fundamental internal change with the aim of responding to the new security situation. It changed the military structure to make it more effective in crisis management situations, peacekeeping and peace support operations in cooperation with Partner countries.
Press releases
