NATO

What is NATO?

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is an alliance of 28 countries from North America and Europe committed to fulfilling the goals of the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on 4 April 1949.

What does NATO do?

The fundamental role of NATO is to safeguard the freedom and security of its member countries by political and military means. NATO has helped end bloody conflicts in Bosnia, Kosovo and Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.

Today, NATO-led forces are helping to bring stability to Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq and Darfur. Dialogue and co-operation with non-NATO countries are helping to overcome the divisions of the Cold War era and to extend security and stability well beyond NATO borders.

The Alliance is taking on new operations: bringing stability to Afghanistan, assisting Iraq, protecting against terrorism in the Mediterranean and helping the African union to bring peace to the Darfur region of Sudan. NATO is also broadening cooperation with other international organisations such as the European Union.