22 Oct. 2001

First visit of Bulgarian Prime Minister to NATO HQ The former King Simeon II of Bulgaria, H.E. Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha, came on his first visit to NATO HQ on 22 October since he has been elected Prime Minister of Bulgaria. He was accompanied by his Foreign Minister, Dr Solomon Passy. They met with Lord Robertson and the 19 Permanent Representatives of the North Atlantic Council to discuss Bulgaria's offer to support Article 5 operations and its application for NATO membership. During a joint press conference with the Bulgarian Prime Minister, Lord Robertson stated that he was encouraging Bulgaria in its application for NATO membership but stressed that Bulgaria as all the other candidate countries, neede to maintain its efforts to meet the standards for Alliance membership. Additional information: High resolution photos of the visit to NATO by the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha - 22 October 2001 Audio file of the press Point by NATO Secretary General, Lord Robertson and the Bulgarian Prime Minister Mr. Simeon Saxe-Coburg Gotha at the occasion of the Prime Minister's visit to the NATO HQ (.MP3/2.122Kb)