Argentina formally requested to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as a “global partner” on Thursday. The country’s Defense Minister, Luis Petri, announced the decision in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
Petri met with NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana in Brussels, Belgium, to present him a letter with the request.
“I met with @Mircea_Geoana, Deputy Secretary General of @NATO,” Petri wrote in the post. “I presented you with the letter of intent that expresses Argentina’s request to become a global partner of this organization. We will continue working to recover ties that allow us to improve and train our [military] forces following NATO standards.”
Argentina’s request to join NATO as a global partner was celebrated by Geoană. He welcomed the decision in a statement published on NATO’s website.
“It is a great pleasure to welcome Defence Minister Petri to NATO Headquarters,” Geoană said. “Argentina plays an important role in Latin America, and I welcome today’s request to explore becoming a NATO partner. NATO works with a range of countries around the world to promote peace and stability. Closer political and practical cooperation could benefit us both.”
Additionally, Petri was at NATO’s headquarters to complete the purchase of 24 F-16 jets from Denmark, according to reports. It was a purchase considered vital to the objectives of recently elected Argentina President Javier Milei, who declared his intention to expand and modernize his country’s military.
Denmark sold the aircraft, which were manufactured in the United States, to Argentina for nearly $300 million. Moreover, the United States helped Argentina pay for the jets by giving the country “$40 million in foreign military financing,” according to the Associated Press.
Petri praised the purchase of the jets as “the most important military purchase since Argentina’s return to democracy,” which happened in 1983.
Countries considered “global partners” enjoy a cooperative relationship with NATO members involving intelligence sharing and joint military operations. However, “global partners” are not allowed to become full members because the organization’s rules require all members to be European countries.
Current active global partners of NATO include Australia, Colombia, Iraq, Japan, Mongolia, New Zealand, South Korea, and Pakistan.
Argentina’s ties to NATO go back to 1998 when the country became a “major non-NATO ally.”
