Новини
Bulgaria Joined NATO in Biggest Expansion Round
Рубрика: General news Източник:The accession of the seven new countries brings the 55-year-old alliance membership to 26.
Seven former Soviet-dominated nations, including Bulgaria, became full-fledged NATO members March 29 in the most ambitious expansion in the Alliance history. Photo by Yuliana Nikolova |
A few hours later the seven prime ministers were welcomed by President Bush at the White House, in the Oval Cabinet. The ceremony was presided by him along with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.
I expect that we will work together for a better, more peaceful world, Bush said in his address. He also thanked the seven nations for contributing to world's anti-terror fight.
NATO, created 55 years ago to counter communism during the Cold War, is adding 200,000 military personnel to its existing 2.8 million as it seeks to fight terrorism. NATO aims to create a rapid-reaction force, to reach full operational capability by October 2006, that will be able to move 20,000 troops anywhere in the world in as little as a week.