Argentina seeks to join NATO as a global partner, already cooperated in Bosnia and Herzegovina

(Patria) - Argentina on Thursday formally requested to join NATO as a global partner, a status that would pave the way for greater political and security cooperation at a time when the right-wing government of President Javier Milei aims to strengthen ties with Western powers and attract investment.

The request came as NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana led
talks in Brussels on regional security challenges with visiting Argentine Defense Minister Luis Petri, AP reported.

Geoana said he welcomes Argentina's efforts to become an accredited partner in the alliance - a valued role that is less than "ally" for nations outside NATO's geographic area and that are not obligated to participate in collective military actions. NATO membership is currently limited to countries in Europe, Turkey, Canada and the United States.

Membership could allow Argentina access to advanced technology, security systems and training that were previously unavailable to it, the Argentine presidency said.
"Argentina plays an important role in Latin America," Geoana said at NATO headquarters.

"Closer political and practical cooperation could benefit us both," he added.

Milei, with a radical libertarian agenda, aims to reverse years of protectionist trade measures, excessive spending and a reduction in international debt that have pushed the country's economy into stagnation. In the past four months as president, he has reshaped Argentine foreign policy into one of almost unconditional support for the United States as part of an effort to return Argentina to a prominent place in the global economy after previous administrations allowed relations with Washington and European allies to deteriorate.

Milei's government is also seeking security advantages through a thaw in relations with Western countries. On Thursday, the U.S. government announced it is giving Argentina forty million dollars in foreign military financing for the first time in more than two decades - a grant that allows key U.S. allies like Israel to purchase American weapons.

The funds, intended for Argentina to equip and modernize its military, will help cover the bill for 24 American F-16 fighter jets that Argentina purchased from Denmark earlier this week. Defense Minister Petri hailed the acquisition of advanced aircraft as "the most important military purchase since Argentina's return to democracy" in 1983. The price tag of 300 million dollars has drawn criticism from Milei's political opponents as he cuts government spending.

Formal partnership with NATO requires consensus from all 32 NATO members. Argentina's ties with key NATO ally the United Kingdom have been strained since 1982, when they went to war over the disputed Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.

Other global partners of NATO are Afghanistan, Australia, Iraq, Japan, the Republic of Korea,
Mongolia, New Zealand and Pakistan. The only NATO partner in Latin America is Colombia.
Granting "global partner" status to a country does not mean that NATO allies will come to the country's defense in the event of an attack. That obligation is limited to full members of the alliance.

NATO's dialogue with Argentina began in the 1990s. In a largely symbolic move to thank the then pro-American government for sending troops to peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, President Bill Clinton in 1998 designated Argentina as a "major non-NATO ally."