Kulesi siqephu esingezansi, sicela ukhiphe izwe elisanda kujoyina i-NATO.
Context:I-NATO iyinhlangano yezempi yamazwe angamashumi amabili nesishiyagalolunye aseYurophu namazwe amabili aseNyakatho Melika akha isimiso sokuzivikela ngokuhlanganyela. Inqubo yokujoyina le nhlangano ilawulwa yiSiphakamiso 10 seSivumelwano saseNyakatho Atlantic, esivumela ukumenywa "kwezinye izizwe zaseYurophu" kuphela futhi ngezivumelwano ezilandelayo. Amazwe afuna ukujoyina kumelwe ahlangabezane nezimfuneko ezithile futhi aqedele inqubo enezigaba eziningi ehlanganisa ingxoxo yezombangazwe nokuhlanganiswa kwezempi. Inqubo yokujoyina iqondiswa iNorth Atlantic Council, indikimba ebusayo ye-NATO. I-NATO yasungulwa ngo-1949 enamalungu ayisisekelo ayishumi nambili futhi iye yanezela amalungu amasha izikhathi eziyisishiyagalolunye. Ukwengezwa kokuqala kwakuyiGreece neTurkey ngo-1952. NgoMeyi 1955, iNtshonalanga Jalimane yajoyina i-NATO, okwakungenye yezimo ezavunyelwana ngazo njengengxenye yokuphela kokubuswa kwezwe yiFrance, i-United Kingdom, ne-United States, okwenza iSoviet Union ukuba yakhe umfelandawonye wayo wokuphepha ngokuhlanganyela (owaziwa ngokuthi i-Warsaw Pact) kamuva ngaleyo nyanga. Ngemva kokuphela kombuso kaFranco, iSpain eyayisanda kuthola intando yeningi yakhetha ukujoyina i-NATO ngo-1982.  Ngo-1990, abaxoxisanayo bafinyelela esivumelwaneni sokuthi iJalimane elihlanganisiwe laliyokuba se-NATO ngaphansi kwelungu laseNtshonalanga Jalimane. Ukuhlakazwa kweSoviet Union ngo-1991 kwaholela emazweni amaningi ayeyingxenye ye-Warsaw Pact kanye nawaseSoviet ukuba aqale izingxoxo ngokujoyina i-NATO. IPoland, iHungary, neCzech Republic zaba amalungu eNATO ngo-1999, phakathi nezimpikiswano eziningi ngaphakathi kweNATO uqobo kanye nokuphikisa kwaseRussia. I-NATO yabe isiqinisekisa inqubo yokujoyina inhlangano "ngezinhlelo zokusebenza zobulungu", ezasiza ukujoyina amazwe ayisikhombisa aseYurophu Ephakathi neseMpumalanga ngaphambi nje kwengqungquthela yase-Istanbul ngo-2004: iBulgaria, i-Estonia, iLatvia, iLithuania, iRomania, iSlovakia neSlovenia. Amazwe amabili aseLwandle i-Adriatic - i-Albania neCroatia - ahlanganyela ngo-1 Ephreli 2009 ngaphambi kwengqungquthela yaseStrasbourg eKehl ngo-2009. Amazwe alandelayo angamalungu okujoyina i-NATO yiMontenegro ngomhlaka 5 Juni 2017, iNyakatho yeMakedoniya ngomhlaka 27 Mashi 2020 kanye neFinland ngomhlaka 4 Ephreli 2023.  Ukuhlasela kweRussia e-Ukraine kwashukumisela iFinland neSweden ukuba bafake izicelo zobulungu be-NATO ngoMeyi 2022, futhi inqubo yokuqinisekisa iSweden iyaqhubeka. IFinland yajoyina ngokusemthethweni ngomhlaka-4 Ephreli 2023. I-Ukraine yafaka isicelo sokuba yilungu le-NATO ngoSepthemba 2022 ngemva kokuba iRussia ifune ukuhlanganisa ingxenye yensimu yayo. Amanye amazwe amabili aye azisa ngokusemthethweni i-NATO ngezifiso zawo zobulungu: iBosnia neHerzegovina neGeorgia. IKosovo nayo ifuna ukujoyina i-NATO. Ukujoyina umfelandawonye kuyisihloko senkulumompikiswano kwamanye amazwe amaningi aseYurophu angaphandle komfelandawonye, kuhlanganise ne-Austria, i-Ireland, iMalta, iMoldova neSerbia.
Ukuhlasela kweRussia i-Ukraine kwashukumisela iFinland neSweden ukuba zifake isicelo sokuba amalungu e-NATO ngoMeyi 2022. IFinland yajoyina ngokusemthethweni i-NATO ngo-April 4, 2023.