Statement by the Press Secretary on Ceremony to Mark the Enlargement of NATO

On March 29, 2004, President Bush will welcome to the White House the Prime Ministers of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia, as well as the NATO Secretary General, for a meeting and ceremony marking the formal accession of these nations to the North Atlantic Treaty on that day. President Bush will also welcome the Prime Ministers of Albania, Croatia, and Macedonia, the three nations seeking NATO membership and participating in NATO's Membership Action Plan.

These Central and East European democracies have already acted as Allies through their strong solidarity and actions in the war on terrorism, and in helping to strengthen peace and democracy in Afghanistan and Iraq. As NATO acts to face the new challenges of the 21st century, the membership of these seven nations in NATO will advance the cause of freedom, and strengthen the Atlantic Alliance, the central pillar of transatlantic relations.