NATO Archives marks enlargement anniversaries at the Foreign Ministers meeting
On April 1st, the NATO Foreign Ministers celebrated the accession anniversaries of twelve countries: 15 years for the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland; 10 years for Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia; 5 years for Albania and Croatia. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen highlighted the event with a speech that commemorated the enlargements, reaffirmed NATO’s Open Door Policy and emphasized that the alliance remains dedicated to freedom and security. The Foreign Ministers of the twenty-eight NATO countries and the Secretary General issued a jointly signed statement to conclude the occasion. The original signed statement has been deposited to the NATO Archives.
To support this historic event, the NATO Archives, working in conjunction with the Office of Treaty Affairs at the United States Department of State, presented a special display that featured facsimile copies of the accession documents of the twelve NATO countries celebrating their enlargement anniversary. Known as “instruments of accession”, these original documents, signed by the Head of State of the acceding country and deposited in Washington DC, are held by the US State Department and represent the final step in the accession process. The original protocols of accession, which are the formal documents used to amend the Washington treaty, are held at the NATO Archives in Brussels.
The NATO Archives will continue the celebration of the enlargement anniversaries with an expanded exhibit during the first weeks of May which will also include the commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Partnership for Peace.