On March 12, 1999, Poland, Czechia, and Hungary joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
The fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Warsaw Bloc after the end of the Cold War opened the door for further NATO expansion.
At the NATO summit in Madrid in 1997, the Czechia, Hungary, and Poland were invited to begin accession negotiations, and on March 12, 1999, they became the first former members of the Warsaw Pact Organization to join the NATO Alliance.
During this time, the Poles, Czechs and Hungarians increased their military potential: they mastered Western aircraft, tanks, launchers and air defense. Today, 32 countries are members of NATO.
Photo: Polish Foreign Minister Bronisław Geremek signs the document on the country’s accession to NATO. On his left is US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, on his right is Czechia Foreign Minister Jan Kavan and Hungarian Foreign Minister János Martonyi.
