Celebrating the 76th anniversary of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) with 32 member countries including Turkey. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs marked the 76th anniversary of NATO’s establishment. So, when was NATO founded? When did Turkey join NATO? Formed as a political and military alliance with the aim of restructuring the security of Western Europe after World War II, NATO was founded through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. NATO’s main mission is to protect and defend the security of its allies, bringing its members together around common values such as democracy and the rule of law on both sides of the Atlantic. The most significant aspect of this partnership is manifested in Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, which provides a joint defense commitment. This article stipulates that NATO shall defend its members against an attack or threat of attack and respond assuming an attack on one member is an attack on all members. Implementing an open-door policy, NATO offers membership opportunities to all “European” countries meeting the necessary criteria. With 12 members at its founding in 1949, NATO has evolved into a 30-member alliance in 73 years. Turkey joined NATO in 1952 along with Greece, signing the agreement with the United States, Belgium, the United Kingdom, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Iceland, Canada, Luxembourg, Norway, and Portugal. While Germany joined NATO in 1955, Spain did so in 1982, and the 1999 enlargement saw the inclusion of the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. The 2004 enlargement included Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia, while Albania and Croatia joined in 2009, Montenegro in 2017, and North Macedonia in 2020. NATO’s main headquarters is located in the Belgian capital, Brussels, where the Alliance’s decisions are made by a “unanimous vote” of the 29 members. Allies convene at various levels to discuss security issues. In the main headquarters, each country operates with permanent representations led by an ambassador. The ambassador advocates for their country’s interests within NATO, conducts consultations, and plays a key role in the decision-making process.