North Atlantic Treaty Organization

Partnerships with non-NATO countries

NATO has developed partnerships with non-NATO countries, promoting security dialogue and cooperation, since the early 1990s. Partner countries contribute to NATO’s operations and play an active role in the Alliance’s actions against terrorism.

A key focus of cooperation with many partners, often newly independent states, is to help build a solid democratic environment and modernize armed forces.

NATO meets partner countries from Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus and the wider Mediterranean area, as well as other partners across the globe, on a regular basis to discuss a multitude of political and security-related issues.

These partnerships help to extend security across the Euro-Atlantic area and beyond. Many participating countries are able to address their own security requirements by drawing on the expertise of NATO countries. Others contribute their own expertise and capabilities to NATO activities in pursuit of shared objectives.

Beyond operations and the fight against terrorism, the Alliance also engages in practical cooperation with many partner countries in many other areas. These range from defence policy and planning, civil-military relations, education and training, to air defence, communications and information systems, crisis management, and civil emergency planning.

NATO has been building dialogue and cooperation with partner countries since 1991. The Alliance's new Strategic Concept, issued at Washington in 1999, recognises partnerships as one of NATO's fundamental security tasks.

A network of partnerships

The Alliance engages in relations with non-NATO countries in the Euro-Atlantic area through the 50-nation Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and the Partnership for Peace – a major programme of bilateral cooperation with individual Partner countries. Among these Partners, NATO has also developed specific structures for its relationships with Russia, Ukraine and, more recently, Georgia.

NATO is developing relations with Mediterranean-rim countries through the Mediterranean Dialogue, as well as with countries from the broader Middle East region through the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative.

In addition to these more structured  partnerships, NATO cooperates with a range of countries which are not part of these structures. Often referred to as “other partners across the globe” or “Contact Countries”, they share similar strategic concerns and key Alliance values. Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea and New Zealand are all examples in case.