Bulgaria, the closest Russian ally in east Europe, became a NATO member in 2004. Just days later, it also joined the European Union.
The country located at the northernmost tip of the Baltic states, Estonia, joined both NATO and the EU in 2004.
Latvia became a full member of NATO in 2004. Latvia had one of the most advanced defence forces in Europe when it joined the military alliance.
The North Atlantic Treaty, which Lithuania signed and ratified on March 10, 2004, serves as the foundation for Lithuania's participation in the Alliance.
In accordance with the resolution made at the Prague Summit in November 2002, Romania formally joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on March 29, 2004.
Along with Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, and Slovenia, Slovakia entered NATO on March 29, 2004.
NATO admitted Slovenia on March 29, 2004. Slovenia was extended an offer to join because the alliance thought the country would be able to support the defence and political implementation of the North Atlantic Treaty.
Following the approval of the Accession Protocol by all allied nations and the deposit of the NATO Accession Instrument to the State Department, Albania joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 2009.
2009 saw Croatia's enlistment in NATO. In 2000, the nation joined Partnership for Peace, starting the procedure for joining the coalition.
: The country officially joined NATO as a member state on 5 June 2017 and became the 29th member of the military alliance.
On June 2, 2022, the nation ratified the NATO Ottawa Agreement.
On 4th April, Finland became the latest and 31st member of NATO, following year-long deliberations after the Russia-Ukraine war.
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