Bulgaria

News 29/03/2004 - NATO Seven new members join NATO 11/02/2004 - NATO The President of Bulgaria visits NATO Headquarters 08/05/2003 - NATO President of Bulgaria visits NATO 26/03/2003 - NATO Accession protocols signed 14/03/2003 - NATO Seven invitees participate in C3 Board meeting 17/02/2003 - NATO Lord Robertson visits Bulgaria   More... Background The Road to NATO membership Biographies Senior Partner Government Officials NATO Invitee Ministers of Foreign Affairs NATO Invitee Chiefs of Staff NATO Invitee Ministers of Defence Permanent representative to NATO for Bulgaria Multimedia 27/10/2003 Video interview with Ambassador Valev Images of Bulgaria Library NATO publications and documents in Bulgarian Key links Atlantic Club of Bulgaria Links to government sites

Bulgaria and NATO

Formal contacts between NATO and Bulgaria began in 1990, with a Declaration of the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs accepting the invitation extended by NATO to establish regular diplomatic liaison mission at the Alliance Headquarters in Brussels.

This was the beginning of the political dialogue, practical cooperation and reform efforts that resulted in the invitation of Bulgaria to join NATO.

What does Bulgaria bring to NATO?

In a video interview for the NATO Web site, Emil Valev, Bulgarian Ambassador to NATO, explains that along with expecting benefits, Bulgaria is ready to share responsibilities.

"Strategically, Bulgaria's NATO membership would help keep the instability in the Western Balkans at bay and entail lower costs for the NATO-led missions in the region," he says.