– In Article 4 of NATO’s founding treaty, members are encouraged to bring subjects to the table for discussion within the North Atlantic Council, the principal forum for political consultation.
– Since the Alliance’s creation in 1949, Article 4 has been invoked several times, for instance by Turkey in 2003 and in 2012 and Poland in 2014.
– Consultation regularly takes place within the existing network of committees and working groups, which derive their authority from the Council.