NATO - a guarantee for the member countries

Norway has been a member of NATO since the Alliance was established in 1949. NATO’s aim is to guarantee member countries’ security, freedom and independence, and to promote their democratic values and institutions.

In April 2004, the group of NATO members grew by seven countries – Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia – to 26. This is the second time that NATO has been enlarged by including former Warsaw Pact countries. The previous occasion was in 1999, when Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary became members. Norway was actively involved in ensuring that the new countries were as well-prepared for membership as possible. 

Crisis management

Since the mid-1990s, the Alliance has become increasingly involved in crisis management, primarily in the Balkans. NATO is leading the operation in Kosovo (KFOR), and led the operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina (SFOR) until December 2004, when the EU (EUFOR) took over. NATO has also been involved in promoting stability and regional cooperation in other countries in the region. Albania, Croatia and Macedonia are currently participating in the Alliance’s membership preparation programme (MAP – Membership Action Plan), while Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro joined the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) and the Partnership for Peace (PfP) at the Riga Summit in November 2006. 

KFOR today involves around 16 000 soldiers. The NATO countries have agreed to maintain this force for the time being, in view of the fact that clarification of Kosovo’s future status is expected during the first half of 2007. Close cooperation between the European Union and NATO is important, as the EU is responsible for civilian security and police duties in Kosovo. 

In August 2003, NATO took over responsibility for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. This was the first time that the Alliance engaged in military operations outside Europe. ISAF is currently NATO’s largest operation, involving 35 000 troops. 

In July 2004, NATO set up a training mission in Iraq (NTM-I), to assist in the training of Iraqi security forces. The curriculum includes instruction in the values that democratically-controlled armed forces should have. Since July 2005, NATO has also given transport and organisational support to the peacekeeping operation in Darfur, which is being led by the African Union. 

Cooperation with partner countries and the UN

NATO cooperates extensively with partner countries in Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. It also cooperates closely with Russia and Ukraine, and conducts a dialogue with countries located around the Mediterranean. NATO’s aim is to enhance stability and security in the entire Euro-Atlantic area. As the cooperation countries are very different, NATO tries to individually tailor cooperation. 

NATO’s cooperation with the UN works well on the ground, as the UN-mandated operations in Afghanistan and Kosovo show. In addition, NATO’s support operations in Darfur and its relief efforts following the earthquake in Pakistan, which were continued until 2006, have created new points of contact. Norway is keen to secure closer political cooperation between the two organisations.