The Republic of Bulgaria became a member of NATO on March 29th 2004. This membership was the result of fourteen years of effort.

The membership of Bulgaria in NATO was first introduced as a political matter on June 23rd 1990, when Solomon Pasi – chairman of the Atlantic club introduced his proposal for the joining of the North Atlantic Treaty to the Bulgarian parliament.

Nearly fourteen years later, on March 18th 2004, the National assembly of the Republic of Bulgaria ratified the North Atlantic Treaty, which was established on April 4th 1949 in Washington. On March 29th 2004, the documents for the joining of seven new countries (Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania) to the North Atlantic Treaty were deposited in Washington. March 29th marks the long-awaited moment of joining the NATO.