North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
Established by the 1949 North Atlantic Treaty, commonly referred to as the Treaty of Washington. NATO is an alliance of military and political cooperation between countries in Europe and North America. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium.

NATO Member States (19)
Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States

NATO Summit
In Prague, Czech Republic, 21-22 November 2002. The process of NATO enlargement will continue -- one or more candidate countries are expected to be invited to join the alliance; further measures are to be adopted aimed at strengthening the alliance's capabilities for fighting terrorism; efforts will be made to deepen and enhance the alliance's partnerships with non-NATO countries; the alliance's commitment to security and stability in the Balkans will be reiterated.

NATO Membership Candidates:
Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia

NATO-Russia Founding Act
Non-binding accord signed on 27 May 1997 by NATO and Russia. Created a NATO-Russia Council for regular consultations on political and security issues.

North Atlantic Cooperation Council (NACC)
Created in December 1991 to provide a framework for dialogue and cooperation with Central and Eastern Europe, it paved the way for Partnership for Peace (PfP). Concluded on 30 May 1997 and replaced by the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC).

Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC)
Replaced the NACC on 30 May 1997 as the framework for consultations on a broad range of political and security-related issues and for practical cooperation under PfP.

EAPC Member States (46)
19 Allies and 27 Partners: Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States, Uzbekistan

Partnership for Peace (PfP)
Introduced at the January 1994 Brussels Summit. Enables participating states to increase political and military cooperation and to strengthen their relations with NATO.

PfP Member States (27)
Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Ireland, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

Lord George Robertson (United Kingdom)
NATO Secretary-General. Chief spokesman for the organization in its communications and contacts with member governments as well as in its external relations. Appointed in 1999.

General Harald Kujat (Germany)
Chairman of NATO Military Committee. Appointed 2002.