Several central and Eastern European countries are marking the 20th anniversary of the largest expansion of the NATO military alliance. This expansion saw formerly socialist countries become members of the bloc. Military aircraft flew over the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, and officials gathered at the main airbase hosting Spanish and Portuguese fighter jets involved in NATO air policing missions in the Baltic region to commemorate the event.
President Gitanas Nauseda of Lithuania expressed confidence in the Alliance, stating, 'We will always have a strong, supportive Alliance family by our side, and we will face any challenges together.' Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia joined NATO on March 29, 2004, bringing the total membership of the Alliance to 26. These nations began accession negotiations soon after the collapse of the Soviet Union and were invited to join at the Prague Summit in November 2002.
