Argentina wants to join NATO to strengthen ties with West, attract investments

Argentina has officially requested to join NATO as a global partner, which, if approved, would lead to more cooperation in politics and security for the South American country.

The request was made Thursday, as President Javier Milei continued to make efforts to boost ties with Western countries and attract investment in Argentina.

Argentina's appeal came during talks organized by NATO's Deputy General Secretary Mircea Geoana in Brussels, which was attended by the former's Defense Minister Luis Petri.

During the talks, Geoana expressed his support for Argentina's request to become an accredited partner in NATO. This was a valued role for countries that were not a part of NATO and those countries weren't required to participate in collective military actions.

At this moment, there are only a few countries that are a part of NATO, including nations of Europe, Turkey, Canada and the United States.

According to the Argentine presidency, the designation of an accredited partner in the alliance could provide Argentina access to advanced technology, security systems and training.

"Argentina plays an important role in Latin America. Closer political and practical cooperation could benefit us both," Geoana said at the NATO headquarters, as per AP News.

NATO's first dialogue with Argentina began in the early 1990s. As a gesture of appreciation for the pro-American government's contribution of troops to peacekeeping missions in Bosnia, former President Bill Clinton officially labeled Argentina as a "major non-NATO ally" in 1998.

Clinton served in the United States office as president from 1993 to 2001.

To become a NATO member, all 32 NATO members need to agree. In Argentina's case, the Latin American country's relationship with a key NATO ally, Britain, has not been smooth since 1982 after they had a conflict over the Falkland Islands in the South Atlantic.

NATO global partners also include Afghanistan, Australia, Iraq, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Mongolia, New Zealand and Pakistan. Currently, only Colombia is part of NATO partners across Latin America.

This request came just one day after public universities in Argentina protested against Milei's sharp budget cuts by turning off classroom lights to save money on electricity.