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(bright music)

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- [Voiceover] In 1949,

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at the founding of the North Atlantic Alliance,

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there were 12 original signatories.

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However, the founding treaty allowed for new members

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to be invited to join NATO

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with the unanimous agreement of all existing allies.

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Since 1949, the Alliance has taken in 17 new members,

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with the latest addition of Montenegro.

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Before a country can be invited to join NATO,

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it has to satisfy certain prerequisites

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to be eligible for membership.

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The country must be geographically within Europe,

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it must be a democracy,

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and there must be the capacity and willingness to contribute

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to the security of the Euro-Atlantic area.

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With these prerequisites met,

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the country can be invited to join

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the Membership Action Plan, or MAP for short.

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This plan provides tailored advice and support

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on different aspects of membership,

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ranging from defense and military

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to political and legal issues.

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Participation in the MAP does not prejudge any decision

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by the Alliance on future membership.

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Moreover, as no two countries are quite the same,

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each MAP process varies in progression and length.

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After delivering the necessary reforms,

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accession talks are held.

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Over the course of these talks,

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the invitee country accepts the commitments,

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rights, and obligations of NATO membership.

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The next step requires every member of the Alliance

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to sign and ratify the accession protocol.

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While the ratification process is ongoing,

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the invitee country will also be integrated

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into certain aspects of NATO's work.

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In the final step of the process,

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the invitee country needs to adopt and deposit

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its own bill of ratification to join NATO.

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Countries do so according to

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their national democratic procedures.

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For some countries, this procedure will include

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a national referendum,

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and for others, simply a parliamentary vote.

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Once this bill of ratification is officially passed,

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the country has successfully become a NATO member.

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On the 5th of June 2017,

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NATO welcomed Montenegro as its 29th member.