BRUSSELS, January 11 (RIA Novosti) - NATO will hold its 20th summit in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, on April 2-4, the 26-nation alliance said in a statement on Friday.
NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, in the Romanian capital for a one-day visit, said Thursday that NATO was considering strengthening ties with ex-Soviet republics Ukraine and Georgia.
Scheffer also said that NATO would have to make a political decision on Albania, Macedonia and Croatia joining the alliance. He stressed the importance of a regional approach to the western Balkan states, saying he hoped they would become NATO members, but without giving any indication of a timeframe in which this might take place.
The Bucharest summit is set to be the largest in the alliance's history.
