PRAGUE, Nov 21 (Hina) - Seven central and eastern European countries were invited to join NATO in Prague on Thursday.
PRAGUE, Nov 21 (Hina) - Seven central and eastern European
countries were invited to join NATO in Prague on Thursday. #L#
Secretary-General George Robertson announced at the start of a two-
day Prague summit that the 19-nation alliance was opening its doors
to Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and
Slovenia.
Robertson said NATO, which will now have 26 members, would keep its
door open to further candidates from the Balkans region.
This is not the last enlargement, the Secretary-General said.
He said the reason the alliance had founded the Membership Action
Plan was to help countries aspiring to join the alliance achieve
NATO's high standards.
NATO was founded in 1949 when it had only 12 member countries.
Greece and Turkey joined in 1952, western Germany in 1955, Spain in
1982 and Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic in 1999.
"This round of enlargement will maintain NATO's strength and its
vitality as well," Robertson said.
The newcomers will take their seats in 2004.
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