NATO open door policy facts for kids
The NATO open door policy is a rule that says other countries in Europe can join NATO if they want to. NATO is a group of countries that work together for safety. This rule comes from something called Article 10 of the North Atlantic Treaty. This article explains how new countries can become members of the alliance.
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Why Countries Wanted to Join NATO
After 1989, many countries in Eastern Europe went through big changes. They used to be part of a group called the Eastern Bloc, which was linked to the Soviet Union. When the Soviet Union broke apart, these countries became independent. They wanted to join NATO to feel safer and more secure. Joining NATO meant they would be protected by the other member countries.
NATO's Welcome Message
In March 1992, Manfred Wörner, who was the main leader of NATO at the time, visited Warsaw, a city in Poland. He said that "the doors to NATO are open." This was a clear message that NATO was ready to welcome new members.
Later, in December 1994, leaders from the United States and other NATO countries met in Budapest. They agreed that no country in Europe should be stopped from joining the alliance if they met the requirements. This showed that NATO was serious about its open door policy.
New Members Join NATO
The first countries from the former Eastern Bloc to join NATO were Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. They became members on March 12, 1999. This was a big step in NATO's expansion towards the east.
More countries joined a few years later. On March 29, 2004, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia also became part of NATO.
Recent Additions to the Alliance
In May 2022, two more countries, Finland and Sweden, wanted to join NATO. However, Turkey, a current NATO member, first said no to their joining. Turkey had some concerns, but they later changed their mind.
On March 17, 2023, Turkey agreed to Finland joining NATO. This allowed Finland to become the 31st member of NATO on April 4, 2023.
Then, on July 10, 2023, Turkey also agreed to Sweden joining NATO. This cleared the way for Sweden to become the 32nd member of the alliance.
