Argentina's Defense Minister Luis Petri announced Argentina's request to join NATO as a global partner. Petri stated that he had given NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană a letter of intent containing the aforementioned request from Buenos Aires.
During the meeting, the Argentina's Defense Minister and the Deputy Secretary General of NATO exchanged views on security challenges in Europe and Latin America. After handing over the letter of intent, the Argentine Defense Minister said that the country's authorities would continue to "work to restore ties that will modernize and train the armed forces in accordance with NATO standards."
In turn, Geoană said that NATO positively assesses the prospect of cooperation with Buenos Aires. He also noted the importance of Argentina in Latin America and added that closer political and practical cooperation could benefit both sides and contribute to strengthening peace and stability.
Against the background of Argentina's announcement of its intention to become a global partner of NATO, the US Embassy in Argentina issued a statement of its intention to allocate $40 million to Buenos Aires for defense needs as part of the military assistance program for foreign countries. The statement also notes that this is the first time since 2003 that Argentina will be provided with funds under the American military assistance program.
The embassy added that Argentina will be able to spend the allocated funds on "defense products, training and services in the United States, as well as on deepening cooperation with the US armed forces." The report also says that the assistance provided "will contribute to Argentina's military modernization efforts and will help the country purchase supersonic F-16 fighters."
Argentina has been conducting a political dialogue with NATO since the early 1990s. The North Atlantic Alliance notes that during the cooperation, Buenos Aires has contributed to NATO peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. If the application is approved, which is accepted by consensus, Argentina will become the second Latin American state with the status of a global partner of NATO, the first in 2018 was Colombia.
Sources - X(Twitter), NATO, the US Embassy in Argentina
