bucharest summit declaration (2008)
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Bucharest Summit Declaration
Bucharest, Romania - 3 April 2008
Issued by the Heads of State and Government participating in the meeting of the North Atlantic Council.
Key Declarations
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Enlargement: We have decided to invite Albania and Croatia to begin accession talks to join the Alliance.
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Open Door Policy: NATO’s door will remain open to European democracies willing and able to assume the responsibilities and obligations of membership, in accordance with Article 10 of the Washington Treaty.
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Ukraine and Georgia: We welcomed Ukraine’s and Georgia’s Euro-Atlantic aspirations for membership in NATO. We agreed today that these countries will become members of NATO. Both nations have made valuable contributions to Alliance operations. We welcome the democratic reforms in Ukraine and Georgia and look forward to free and fair parliamentary elections in Georgia in May. MAP is the next step for Ukraine and Georgia on their direct way to membership. Today we make clear that we support these countries’ applications for MAP. Therefore we will now begin a period of intensive engagement with both at a high political level to address the questions still outstanding pertaining to their MAP applications. We have asked Foreign Ministers to make a first assessment of progress at their December 2008 meeting. Foreign Ministers have the authority to decide on the MAP applications of Ukraine and Georgia.
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The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia: We have decided to invite the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to begin accession talks to join the Alliance as soon as a mutually acceptable solution to the name issue has been reached.
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Western Balkans: We remain committed to the security and stability of the Western Balkans. We have decided to start an Intensified Dialogue with Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, and also with Serbia.
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Afghanistan: We reaffirm our commitment to a stable, secure and democratic Afghanistan. The UN-mandated International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is our top priority.
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Russia: We welcome the progress made in our relations with Russia. We have developed a strong and substantive political dialogue and practical cooperation. We are determined to continue to work with Russia to address common security challenges.
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Regional Conflicts: We are deeply concerned by the persistent regional conflicts in the South Caucasus and the Republic of Moldova. We remain committed in our support of the territorial integrity, independence and sovereignty of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova.
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CFE Treaty: We reaffirm our commitment to the CFE Treaty as a cornerstone of European security and stability. We are deeply concerned by Russia’s unilateral “suspension” of its legal obligations under the CFE Treaty.
We, the Heads of State and Government of the member countries of the North Atlantic Alliance, met today in Bucharest, in the year of NATO’s 60th anniversary, to enlarge our Alliance and to strengthen our ability to confront the existing and emerging 21st century security threats. We reaffirmed the enduring value of the transatlantic link and of NATO as the essential forum for security consultations between Europe and North America.