The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is celebrating its 75th anniversary this Thursday since its creation. The Alliance, which was established with the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on April 4, 1949, helped “spread peace, democracy and prosperity in Europe” and is, according to its Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, “more united than ever”.

“Today we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the strongest, most successful and longest-lasting Alliance in history: the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO. Congratulations”, the official began by saying in his speech at the organization's headquarters in Brussels.

Noting that the political and military alliance “kept our societies safe during the long years of the Cold War”, Stoltenberg recalled that when he joined the Norwegian army in 1975, he knew that in the event of a conflict, the country would not be alone.

“In 1975, I served in the Norwegian army. If there was a war, we would be on the front line, but I was not afraid, because I knew we were not alone. We had the power of NATO on our side”, he confessed.

And he continued: “Today, NATO is bigger, better and more united than ever. We started with 12 members. Today, we are 32. So, we must be doing something right. We have helped spread peace, democracy and prosperity in Europe. Two world wars, the Cold War and all the challenges we have faced since have taught us that we need each other. [...] We are stronger and safer together.”

Yesterday, for her part, the President of the European Commission considered that the Atlantic Alliance is "a cornerstone" for Euro-Atlantic stability, having called for a commitment from all countries, including those belonging to the European Union (EU).

"75 years later, NATO remains a cornerstone for security and stability in the Euro-Atlantic. Today, with new European members and unwavering unity for Ukraine, NATO is stronger than ever. On its anniversary, let's renew our commitment to transatlantic solidarity", wrote Ursula von der Leyen on the social network X (Twitter).

The President of the Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, defended, on the same day, the importance of Euro-Atlantic dialogue and the "reinforcement of its European component", framing this organization as "an instrument of peace" that is, nevertheless, ready “for war".

Taking into account the situation in which "international crises are worsening, namely in Europe", among them "the invasion of Ukraine by Russia" and "the influence of wars on the economy, growth, inflation and interest rates", the Portuguese head of state stressed the importance of "NATO's security and defense policy, guided by a culture of consensus and sharing of democratic values, as well as the importance of Euro-Atlantic dialogue and the reinforcement of its European component".

According to the supreme commander of the Armed Forces, "the enlargement of the Alliance, the result of the imperative reason to preserve a strategic balance" makes this organization "a platform for understanding between spaces, continents and countries, expressed in a collective will of an organization that is above all an instrument of peace, ensuring that, while being ready for war, it is deterring and avoiding it".

"In marking the date, the head of state also praised all the women and men who, over these 75 years, have made their arduous contribution so that this Alliance could maintain its purpose, determination and capacity for intervention", he added.

NATO is the result of the fear of the expansion of the Soviet Union across the European continent, having had 12 nations at its foundation: the United States of America (USA), the United Kingdom, Portugal, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg and Norway.

Greece and Turkey joined the Atlantic Alliance in 1952, and Germany in 1955. Nevertheless, the main period of growth of the political-military bloc occurred between 1999 and 2004, triggered by the dissolution of the Soviet Union in December 1991.

The fall of the eastern bloc was accompanied by an opening of the former Soviet republics to the EU and also to NATO. In 1999, Spain, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland joined, and in 2004 Bulgaria, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania 'stamped' their membership of the Atlantic bloc. Albania and Croatia joined NATO in 2009, Montenegro in 2017, North Macedonia three years later and, finally, Finland in 2023 and Sweden this year.

With these two most recent accessions, already in the context of the war in Ukraine that began with the Russian invasion of February 24, 2022, the Atlantic Alliance now has 32 member countries.

As the name suggests, NATO only accepts countries from the North Atlantic. This means that Brazil, for example, could not belong to the organization. However, the Atlantic Allianc>