Signing of agreements to join NATO – Warsaw

Fact of the Polish figure „Joining the EU figure in Poland”

Part of the „Back to Europe together” topic

Poland joined NATO on March 12, 1999, which was a watershed moment in its history and foreign policy. After the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet Union, Poland, emerging from the bloc of communist states, sought integration with the West, seeking security and stability. Joining the North Atlantic Alliance was the result of years of negotiations and reforms to bring Poland’s armed forces in line with NATO standards.

Since leaving the Warsaw Pact, Poland has wanted to enter Western defense structures so as not to find itself in a gray zone. As early as May 6, together with the authorities of the Czech Republic and Hungary, it set itself the goal of prospective accession to NATO. They argued for the absence of conflicts with neighbors and the absence of direct threat in the immediate vicinity and the immediate time horizon of these countries. NATO structures also wanted to stabilize Central and Eastern Europe, which is why Polish troops worked closely with the alliance’s forces from 1994 until their accession in 1999.