2008 Bucharest summit
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The 2008 Bucharest Summit or the 20th NATO Summit is a NATO summit that will be organized in Bucharest, Romania on 2–4 April 2008.[1][2] Among other business, Croatia, Albania, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (pending resolution of the Macedonia naming dispute) are expected to be invited to join the alliance. Georgia and Ukraine may be invited to join the NATO Membership Action Plan. [3]
Macedonia naming dispute and the Greek veto
Greece has threatened on several occasions to veto the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia's NATO bid due to the longstanding naming dispute over the latter's name.[4] Greece argues that use of the name "Macedonia" implies territorial claims on the adjacent Greek region of Macedonia, a claim rejected by Skopje.[5] Posters erected in Skopje just days before the Bucharest summit by private organizations replacing the white cross on the Greek flag with the swastika led to vigorous Greek diplomatic protests and condemnation, although the Macedonian government disassociated itself from the depictions and expressed its regret. [6].
Host
Romania competed for the organization of this summit with Portugal, which initially was scheduled to host the summit in 2006, but eventually renounced in favor of Latvia, which held the 2006 Riga Summit.[2] Romania received support from the United States, and U.S. Under Secretary of State R. Nicholas Burns said in December 2006 that Romania deserved the honor to hold this event due to its contribution to the Alliance's common effort in the War in Afghanistan and for stability in the Iraq War. Romania has been a member of NATO since March 14, 2004.
NATO-Russia Meeting
Russian President Vladimir Putin was invited to the summit in Bucharest and he will arrive on the second day to participate in bilateral NATO-Russia talks. He is opposed to the US plans to deploy missile defenses in Poland and the Czech Republic, which is to be discussed at the summit. Russia is also opposed to Georgia and the Ukraine's NATO membership bids. [7]
References
- ^ Bucharest to host 2008 NATO Summit, NATO, April 27, 2007,
- ^ a b Romania to host NATO summit in spring 2008, Romanian Information Center in Brussels, 2007
- ^ http://www.summitbucharest.ro/en/doc_130.html
- ^ http://news.trendaz.com/index.shtml?show=news&newsid=1166588&lang=EN
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7324510.stm
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7324510.stm
- ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080331/ap_on_re_eu/russia_vs_nato_1