The first meeting of heads of state of countries aspiring to NATO membership, which is due to take place in Sofia on October 5, 2001, figured high on the agenda of the V-10 Group foreign ministers meeting in Tallinn, Estonia, the Foreign Ministry announced. The Bulgarian delegation to the meeting was led by the outgoing Foreign Minister Mihailova. The participants, from Albania, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia discussed the prospects for NATO`s further enlargement and the cooperation process between the aspirants for membership. Nine applicant countries first met in this format in Vilnius in 2000. This group, which came to be known as `V-9`, was renamed `V-10` after Croatia joined it in 2001. `Bulgaria has achieved decisive progress in its preparation for NATO membership and has won deserved recognition from the international community as a generator of security in South-eastern Europe. What is crucial at this stage is not to miss the historic chance of ultimate obliteration of the arbitrary lines of division in Europe`, the chief Bulgarian diplomat N. Mihailova emphasized.