On March 12, 1999, Poland, the Czech Republic and Hungary entered NATO. Foreign ministers of those states signed accession documents in the US, in the presence of Madeleine Albright, the US Secretary of State in the Clinton administration.

Bronisław Geremek, the then Polish Foreign Minister said at the memorable ceremony that Poland has come back to the place, where it belongs - the free world - and is no longer alone in the fight for freedom and independence. Poland joined the NATO for "yours and our freedom", Geremek said then.

For Poland, in 1999, the main argument to join NATO was the military safety of the country. Thankfully, the famous article five of the Washington Treaty, according to which an attack against one member state is treated as an offensive on them all, did not have to be used to defend Poland. Today Polish troops take part in all most important NATO operations: in Afghanistan, Kosovo, training missions in Iraq and on the Mediterranean Sea. Thanks to the involvement of Polish troops in missions abroad, the country's military capabilities improved.

Currently, NATO has 26 members, including France, which does not contribute militarily. The youngest NATO states are Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania and Bulgaria. Albania, Macedonia and Croatia are official candidates to the alliance.

Click on the audio icon to listen to the report by Joanna Najfeld.