Armenia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) have maintained a formal relationship since 1992, when

Armenia Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian Highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia (country), Georgia to the north and Azerbaijan to ...

joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council. Armenia officially established bilateral relations with NATO in 1994 when it became a member of NATO's

Partnership for Peace The Partnership for Peace (PfP; ) is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) program aimed at creating trust and cooperation between the member states of NATO and other states mostly in Europe, including post-Soviet states; 18 states are ...

(PfP) programme. In 2002, Armenia became an Associate Member of the

NATO Parliamentary Assembly The NATO Parliamentary Assembly serves as the consultative interparliamentary organisation for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). It consists of delegates from the parliaments of the 32 NATO member countries as well as from associate ...

Cooperation

Armenia regained its independence from the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

in 1991. Since then, Armenia has pursued developing closer Euro-Atlantic ties with the

member states of NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an international military alliance consisting of 32 member states from Europe and North America. It was established at the signing of the North Atlantic Treaty on 4 April 1949. Of the 32 member c ...

. Armenia joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council in 1992, which was succeeded in 1997 by the

Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council The Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) is a post–Cold War, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) institution. The EAPC is a multilateral forum created to improve relations between NATO and non-NATO countries in Europe and Central Asi ...

(EAPC). The EAPC brings together

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...

allies and partner countries from the Euro-Atlantic area. On 5 October 1994, Armenia became a member of the

programme. The Armenian Atlantic Association, established in 2001, seeks to promote Armenia–NATO relations. It is a full member of the

Atlantic Treaty Association The Atlantic Treaty Association (ATA) is an umbrella organization which draws together political leaders, academics, military officials, and diplomats to support the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The ATA is an independent organization ...

. In 2002, Armenia became an Associate Member of the

. In 2004, Armenia established a

Permanent Mission A diplomatic mission or foreign mission is a group of people from a state or organization present in another state to represent the sending state or organization officially in the receiving or host state. In practice, the phrase usually denotes a ...

to NATO located in

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

, Belgium. In 2007, a NATO Information Centre opened in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

. Armenia organizes an annual "NATO Week", which raises awareness of the country's engagements with NATO. In July 2024, Armenia participated in the NATO 2024 Washington summit.

Individual Partnership Action Plan

On 16 December 2005, Armenia signed an

Individual Partnership Action Plan Individual Partnership Action Plans (IPAP) are plans developed between NATO and different countries which outline the objectives and the communication framework for dialogue and cooperation between both parties. NATO launched the IPAPs initiat ...

(IPAP) with NATO. IPAP's are plans developed between NATO and different countries which outline the objectives and the communication framework for dialogue and cooperation between both parties. As part of Armenia's Individual Partnership Action Plan, Armenia and NATO cooperate in the defense sphere, improving democratic standards and the

rule of law The essence of the rule of law is that all people and institutions within a Body politic, political body are subject to the same laws. This concept is sometimes stated simply as "no one is above the law" or "all are equal before the law". Acco ...

, and tackling corruption.

Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre

Armenia cooperates with the Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordination Centre (EADRCC). NATO and Armenia jointly established the Crisis Management National Centre in

. Between 11 and 16 September 2010, in cooperation with the EADRCC, Armenia hosted its "Armenia 2010" civil emergency exercise near Yerevan, which was one of NATO's largest ever events for disaster response. Armenian rescue teams actively participate in the activities of the EADRCC and take part in various civil emergency exercises.

Science for Peace and Security

Since 1993, Armenia has been involved in the NATO Science for Peace and Security (SPS) programme. Areas of cooperation include defense against chemical, biological, and nuclear agents, counter-terrorism, and cyberwarfare.

Peacekeeping operations

Armenia has participated in certain NATO peacekeeping operations, including:

Afghanistan

In February 2010, Armenia deployed approximately 130 soldiers in

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...

, as part of the NATO-led

International Security Assistance Force The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) was a multinational military mission in Afghanistan from 2001 to 2014. It was established by United Nations Security Council United Nations Security Council Resolution 1386, Resolution 1386 ac ...

(ISAF). They served under

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

command protecting an airport in

Kunduz Kunduz (; ; ) is a city in northern Afghanistan and the capital of Kunduz Province. The city has an estimated population of about 268,893 as of 2015, making it about the List of cities in Afghanistan, seventh largest city of Afghanistan, and the ...

Iraq

After the end of the

invasion of Iraq An invasion is a military offensive of combatants of one geopolitical entity, usually in large numbers, entering territory controlled by another similar entity, often involving acts of aggression. Generally, invasions have objectives ...

, Armenia deployed a unit of 46 peacekeepers under Polish command. Armenian peacekeepers were based in Al-Kut, from the capital of

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

Kosovo

Since 2004, Armenia has been an active contributor to the NATO-led operation in

Kosovo Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...

and currently deploys approximately 70 peacekeepers as part of NATO's

Kosovo Force The Kosovo Force (KFOR) is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO-led international NATO peacekeeping, peacekeeping force and military of Kosovo. KFOR is the third security responder, after the Kosovo Police and the EU Rule of Law (European ...

Potential membership

Historically, Armenia's policies have often aligned it closer with

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

than NATO members. It is a founding member of the

Collective Security Treaty Organization The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO, ) is an Intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental military alliance in Eurasia consisting of six post-Soviet states: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan. Th ...

(CSTO), an alternative Russian-led military alliance. NATO support for the territorial integrity of

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

(an ally of NATO member

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

) in its dispute with Armenia over

Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh (, ; ) is a region in Azerbaijan, covering the southeastern stretch of the Lesser Caucasus mountain range. Part of the greater region of Karabakh, it spans the area between Lower Karabakh and Syunik Province, Syunik. Its ter ...

has led to tensions with the alliance. However, several politicians and political parties have called on the

Government of Armenia The Government of the Republic of Armenia () or the executive branch of the Armenian government is an executive council of government ministers in Armenia. It is one of the three main governmental branches of Armenia and is headed by the Pr ...

to withdraw Armenia's membership in the Collective Security Treaty Organization and either seek full membership in NATO or become a

major non-NATO ally A major non-NATO ally (MNNA) is a designation given by the Federal government of the United States, United States government to countries that have strategic working relationships with the United States Armed Forces while not being members of t ...

(MNNA). For example, the

European Party of Armenia The European Party of Armenia (EPA) () is a Pro-Europeanism, pro-European political party in Armenia. It was founded on 6 November 2018 by Tigran Khzmalyan. The party supports Armenia's Accession of Armenia to the European Union, accession process ...

, the For The Republic Party, and the

Christian-Democratic Rebirth Party The Christian-Democratic Rebirth Party (), also known as the Christian Democratic Movement of Armenia or the Christian Democratic Party, is a Christian democratic political party in Armenia, founded on 15 September 2018. History The party was ...

have campaigned in favor of Armenia's membership in NATO, while the

Armenian National Movement Party The Armenian National Movement (ANM) () is a political party in Armenia. It is led by Ararat Zurabyan, the former chairman of the Pan-Armenian National Movement and a former member of the Free Democrats. History The Armenian National Movement ( ...

and the

National Democratic Pole The National Democratic Alliance () sometimes referred as the National Democratic Pole or the National Democratic Party, is an Armenian political alliance between the Sasna Tsrer Pan-Armenian Party, the National Progress Party of Armenia, as ...

have called for developing deeper relations with NATO. After the start of renewed fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan on 13 September 2022, Armenia triggered the mutual defence Article 4 of the CSTO treaty. However, the CSTO mission sent to monitor the situation along the border took a rather uncommitted position in the conflict, leading to increased criticism towards CSTO membership inside Armenian political circles, with the secretary of the

Security Council of Armenia The Security Council of Armenia () is the highest decision-making National security council, defence and law enforcement body in the Armenia, Republic of Armenia. The office of the Security Council is located on 24 Baghramyan Avenue, Marshal Baghra ...

Armen Grigoryan Armen Grigoryan (, ) is a singer/songwriter, artist, and the front man (and main songwriter) of " Krematorij" (''Crematorium'') Russian rock-band. Biography Armen Grigoryan was born on November 24, 1960, in Moscow to Armenian parents. During sc ...

even stating that he saw no more hope for the CSTO. The lack of Russian support during the conflict prompted a national debate in Armenia, as an increasing percentage of the population put into doubt whether it is beneficial to continue CSTO membership, calling for realignment of the state with NATO instead. This coincided with a visit from

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House or House speaker, is the Speaker (politics), presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the United ...

Nancy Pelosi Nancy Patricia Pelosi ( ; ; born March 26, 1940) is an American politician who was the List of Speakers of the United States House of Representatives, 52nd speaker of the United States House of Representatives, serving from 2007 to 2011 an ...

to Yerevan on 17 September 2022, largely seen as an effort to reorient the security alliance structure of Armenia. The Helsinki Citizens' Assembly presented a document of recommendations to Nancy Pelosi during her visit to Yerevan. One of the recommendations was to provide MNNA status to Armenia. On 23 November 2022, opposition protestors gathered in Yerevan, led by the

anti-Russian Anti-Russian sentiment or Russophobia is the dislike or fear of Russia, Russian people, or Russian culture. The opposite of Russophobia is Russophilia. Historically, Russophobia has included state-sponsored and grassroots mistreatment and di ...

Alliance. Protestors called for the withdrawal of Armenia from the CSTO and for the country to develop closer relations with the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

the West West is a cardinal direction or compass point. West or The West may also refer to: Geography and locations Global context * The Western world * Western culture and Western civilization in general * The Western Bloc, countries allied with NAT ...

. Some US politicians like

Sam Brownback Samuel Dale Brownback (born September 12, 1956) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Kansas from 1996 to 2011 and as the List of governors of Kansas, 46th governor of K ...

have also campaigned for Armenia to be granted MNNA status. On 21 June 2023, Brownback stated, "Armenia is a natural long-term ally of the United States. Armenia must be given Major Non-NATO Ally Status of the US". On 3 September 2023, during an interview, Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that it was a strategic mistake for Armenia to solely rely on Russia to guarantee its security. Pashinyan stated, "Moscow has been unable to deliver and is in the process of winding down its role in the wider

South Caucasus The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and West Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Armenia, ...

region" and "the Russian Federation cannot meet Armenia's security needs. This example should demonstrate to us that dependence on just one partner in security matters is a strategic mistake". Pashinyan accused Russian peacekeepers deployed to uphold the ceasefire deal of failing to do their job. Pashinyan confirmed that Armenia is trying to diversify its security arrangements, most notably with the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...

and the United States. On 23 February 2024, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that Armenia has frozen its participation in the CSTO. Pashinyan said "We have now in practical terms frozen our participation in this treaty" and "membership of the CSTO was under review" during a live broadcast interview. On 28 February 2024, during a speech made in the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

, Pashinyan further stated that the CSTO is "a threat to the national security of Armenia". On 12 March, Pashinyan said that the CSTO needed to clarify "what constitutes Armenia's sovereign territory", as the organization had not come to Armenia's defence when requested following Azerbaijani troops crossing the border into Armenia's internationally recognized territory. Pashinyan said that if the CSTO's response did not align with Armenia's expectations, the country would officially withdraw from the organization. On 12 June 2024, Armenia announced that it would formally withdraw from the alliance at an unspecified later date, with Pashinyan stating, "We will leave. We will decide when to exit...Don't worry, we won't return". In May 2024, the United Platform of Democratic Forces called on the government of Armenia to apply for EU and NATO membership.

Public opinion

A July 2024 Gallup opinion poll noted a 7% increase in support for Armenia's membership in NATO, with 29% of respondents believing Armenia should strive for NATO membership. Meanwhile, support for Armenia's membership in the CSTO decreased by 10%, with only 16.9% believing Armenia should maintain its membership in the CSTO.

Bilateral visits

In 1999, Armenian President

Robert Kocharyan Robert Sedraki Kocharyan ( ; born 31 August 1954) is an Armenian politician. He served as the President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic from 1994 to 1997 and Prime Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh from 1992 to 1994. He served as the second Presiden ...

participated in the 50th anniversary Summit of NATO in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

In 2001, the

Secretary General of NATO The secretary general of NATO is the chief civil servant of the NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), an intergovernmental military alliance with 32 member states. The officeholder is an international diplomat responsible for coordinat ...

, George Robertson visited Armenia. In 2005, Robert Kocharyan held meetings at NATO headquarters in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. In 2008, President

Serzh Sargsyan Serzh Azati Sargsyan (, ; born 30 June 1954)Official biography of Serzh Sargsyan

attended a NATO meeting in

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

and also met with Secretary General Jaap De Hoop Scheffer in Belgium later that year. In 2009, Claudio Bizoniero, deputy Secretary General visited Armenia. In 2010, Serzh Sargsyan held a meeting at NATO headquarters. In 2012, NATO Secretary General

Anders Fogh Rasmussen Anders Fogh Rasmussen (; born 26 January 1953) is a Danish politician who was the prime minister of Denmark from November 2001 to April 2009 and the Secretary General of NATO, secretary general of NATO from August 2009 to October 2014. He became ...

visits Armenia and meets with Serzh Sargsyan. In 2014, Serzh Sargsyan participates in a NATO Member and Partner States meeting. In 2017, Serzh Sargsyan held discussions with NATO Secretary General

Jens Stoltenberg Jens Stoltenberg (; born 16 March 1959) is a Norwegian politician from the Labour Party. Since 2025, he has been the Minister of Finance in the Støre Cabinet. He has previously been the prime minister of Norway and secretary general of NATO. ...

. In 2018, Armenian Prime Minister

Nikol Pashinyan Nikol Vovayi Pashinyan (born 1 June 1975) is an Armenian politician who is serving as the 16th and current Prime Minister of Armenia, prime minister of Armenia since 8 May 2018. A journalist by profession, Pashinyan founded his own newspaper in ...

participated in a NATO summit in

. In 2019, NATO's Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia, James Appathurai paid a visit to Armenia and met with President

Armen Sarkissian Armen Vardani Sarkissian (; born 23 June 1952) is an Armenian politician, physicist, investor, businessman, and computer scientist who was the 4th president of Armenia from 2018 to 2022. He also was Prime Minister of Armenia from 1996 to 1997. ...

and other high-ranking officials. On 26 April 2022, Javier Colomina Píriz, the NATO Secretary General's Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia met with the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, Vahe Gevorgyan. Both sides discussed deepening cooperation between NATO and Armenia. On 19 March 2024, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President

Vahagn Khachaturyan Vahagn Garniki Khachaturyan (, ; born 22 April 1959) is an Armenian economist and politician who has served as the fifth and current president of Armenia since 2022 Armenian presidential election, 2022. He previously served as mayor of Yerevan fr ...

in Yerevan. Between 9–11 July 2024, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan participated in the 75th anniversary summit of NATO in Washington, D.C. On 23 January 2025, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with NATO Secretary General

Mark Rutte Mark Rutte (; born 14 February 1967) is a Dutch politician who has served as the 14th Secretary General of NATO, secretary general of NATO since October 2024. He previously served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands, prime minister of the Neth ...

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at the summit of the 2025

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...

References

External links

Armenia-NATO partnership

NATO Information Centre in Armenia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Armenia-NATO relations Armenia–NATO relations NATO relations Enlargement of NATO Foreign relations of Armenia Politics of Armenia