Bulgaria's Prime Minister Saxe-Coburg (right) submitted the accession documents to US State Secretary Collin Powel (left) in Washington March 29. Upon submission Bulgaria became a full member of the North Atlantic Alliance. Photo by BNT
Bulgaria, together with six more former Soviet-dominated nations, became full-fledged NATO member in the most ambitious expansion in the Alliance history.
Bulgaria's Prime Minister Saxe-Coburg was the first to submit the accession document to the US government in Washington March 29.
The prime ministers of Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia handed in the ratification papers of their countries to US Secretary of State Colin Powell at about 12:30 p.m. local time.
The ritual is held at the US Department of the Treasury.
The accession of the seven new countries brings the 55-year-old alliance membership to 26.
MORE about Bulgaria's NATO entry - READ TODAY in the Politics, Point of View and For The Record sections.