Enlargement of NATO

Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski says his country is in favor of the European Union adopting qualified majority voting when making decisions on certain foreign policy matters. Concerning the war in Ukraine, he notes that both sides are exhausted and that countries need to increase their support toward Kyiv.

Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has reiterated Ankara's expectation of full cooperation in the fight against terrorism from the NATO allies during the alliance's two-day summit in Brussels.

"We have expressed our expectation that all the NATO countries should fully and unconditionally support Türkiye in fighting terrorism," Fidan told reporters late on April 4.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that alliance members must guarantee long-term weapon deliveries for Ukraine, as ministers discussed a proposal for a 100-billion-euro, five-year fund.

For our six European countries, March 2024 marks two decades since the historic moment of NATO membership. It is also the 72nd anniversary of Greece's accession to NATO, which has been a central element in shaping Greek foreign and defense policies.

Bulgaria commemorated a significant milestone on Friday as it celebrated 20 years of NATO membership, a testament to its enduring commitment to international security and cooperation. On March 29, 2004, Bulgaria, alongside several other nations, officially joined the NATO alliance, solidifying its position as a key player in the global defense landscape.

Two decades ago, Bulgaria embarked on a transformative journey by joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), marking a pivotal moment in its modern history. Since then, the country has navigated the complexities of collective security, democratic values, and defense integration within the alliance.

Greece comes to the debate from a position of strength, given that it is one of the EU and NATO member states with one of the highest per capita defence spending rates in the Alliance

"It is our common purpose, over time, to do for Europe's east what NATO has already helped to do for Europe's west. Steadily and systematically, we will continue erasing the line drawn in Europe by Stalin's bloody boot", said the then-Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright twenty-five years ago while welcoming the first new NATO members since the Cold War's end.

The foreign ministers of the United States and Turkey discussed, in their meeting in Washington Friday, the Middle East, trade and investment issues, the Ukraine and other matters, and welcomed Sweden's accession to NATO as the 32nd member, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Saturday.

Miler's full statement follows:

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced today that Sweden has officially become the 32nd member of the Alliance. "It's official - Sweden is now the 32nd member of NATO, taking its rightful place at our table," Stoltenberg wrote on the X social network.
He added that Sweden's accession "makes NATO stronger, and Sweden safer and the whole Alliance more secure."