Slovakia and six others to join NATO April 2
(Agencies)
Updated: 2004-03-01 16:49

Slovakia said on Monday it and six other countries would become NATO members at a ceremony on April 2, months before a summit originally planned to welcome them in June.

"Slovakia sees this as the successful meeting of its goal to become a member of the North Atlantic Alliance... and the appreciation of the reforms made in Slovakia over the past several years," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Bulgaria were initially expected to join NATO at a flag-raising ceremony in Istanbul at the end of June, taking the defense alliance from 19 to 26 members.

NATO's first wave of eastward expansion came in 1999 when Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic joined.

Close

Today's Top News     Top World News
Pakistanis may be near bin Laden's aide al-Zawahri         Government relaxes control of airfares, finally         U.S. launches WTO complaint against China         Report: China, Iran sign US$20b gas deal         FM to pay official visit to DPRK         women bosses urged to date and marry	Sources: Al Qaeda No 2 leader surrounded       S. Korea won't send troops to Iraqi city       Powell visits Iraq on eve of anniversary of US invasion       US doubles reward for capture of bin Laden       Poland 'misled' on Iraq, President says       Kosovo death toll rises to 31