North Atlantic Treaty

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) speaks with Turkish's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan (C) and Britain's Minister of State Stephen Doughty during a NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Oganization) Foreign Ministers' meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, on Dec. 3, 2024.

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was born on 4 April 1949 and "built the most powerful alliance in history"

Two decades ago, Bulgaria embarked on a transformative journey by joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), marking a pivotal moment in its modern history. Since then, the country has navigated the complexities of collective security, democratic values, and defense integration within the alliance.

Türkiye has celebrated its 72nd anniversary of joining NATO, the world's leading security alliance.

"At an extraordinary period of unprecedented challenges for the world, we celebrate the 72nd anniversary of accession of Türkiye, who maintains a unique and indispensable position for the Alliance, to NATO," read a statement issued by the Foreign Minister on Feb. 18.

A top national security adviser to Donald Trump has said that if the former president is returned to power, he will push for changes to NATO that could see some member countries lose their protection against external attack.

Finland officially became NATO's 31st member after the country's foreign minister signed the accession document and handed it over to United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The signature was the last step of the procedure and was signed in Brussels.

The Turkish parliament's foreign affairs commission approved a bill ratifying Finland's bid to join NATO, state broadcaster TRT Haber reported on Thursday, effectively taking Helsinki another step toward membership of the trans-Atlantic pact.

Europe's security environment has changed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Neutrality no longer guarantees security from Russian aggression. In a historic turning point for Finland and Sweden, both Nordic countries have applied to join NATO.

While Russia's invasion of Ukraine is certain to dominate an upcoming NATO summit in Madrid, Spain and other member nations are quietly pushing the Western alliance to consider how mercenaries aligned with Russian President Vladimir Putin are spreading Moscow's influence to Africa.

Bulgaria does not want American troops on its territory, but is ready to accept French, a diplomatic source from Brussels told BNR.

The decision is expected to be made in mid-February, around a meeting of NATO defense ministers.

Bulgarian PM after Security Council on Tensions in the East: We Remain a Loyal Partner of NATO