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UPSC Prelims 2025 GS Paper 1, question 21

Topic: International relations and organisations

Q21

Consider the following countries :

I. Austria

II. Bulgaria

III. Croatia

IV. Serbia

V. Sweden

VI. North Macedonia

How many of the above are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization?

  1. (a) Only three
  2. (b) Only fourCorrect answer
  3. (c) Only five
  4. (d) All the six

Solution.

Answer: (b) Only four

  1. Items I and IV are incorrect: Austria and Serbia are militarily neutral/non-aligned European states and are not members of NATO.
  2. Items II, III, V and VI are correct: Bulgaria (joined 2004), Croatia (joined 2009), North Macedonia (joined 2020), and Sweden (joined in March 2024 as NATO's 32nd member) are all members of NATO.