NATO Summit

Topics Covered: Important International institutions, agencies and fora, their structure, mandate.

NATO Summit:

Context:

NATO Summit was held recently in Brussels. It brought together the leaders of all 30 Allied nations.

Outcomes of the meet:

1. The heads of the NATO countries said they “remain firmly committed to NATO’s founding Washington Treaty, including that an attack against one Ally shall be considered an attack against us all, as enshrined in Article 5.”
2. It included language about updating Article 5 to include major cyberattacks, which have become a significant and growing concern.

About North Atlantic Treaty Organization:

• It is an intergovernmental military alliance.
• Established by Washington treaty.
• Treaty that was signed on 4 April 1949.
• Headquarters — Brussels, Belgium.
• Headquarters of Allied Command Operations — Mons, Belgium.

Composition:

• Since its founding, the admission of new member states has increased the alliance from the original 12 countries to 30. The most recent member state to be added to NATO was North Macedonia on 27 March 2020.
• NATO membership is open to “any other European state in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area.”

InstaLinks:

Prelims Link:

1. NATO- genesis and headquarters.
2. What is NATO Allied Command Operations?
3. Who can become members of NATO?
4. Overview of the Washington Treaty.
5. Countries surrounding the North Atlantic Ocean.
6. Latest NATO member.

Mains Link:

Discuss the objectives and significance of NATO.

Sources: the Hindu.