27/03/2003 (Agence Europe) - On 26 March at NATO Headquarters, the representatives of the 19 NATO member countries signed Protocols of Accession, which, once ratified by the Allies, will allow seven new states to join NATO. The signing ceremony was attended by Foreign Ministers of the new member states: Bulgaria, Romania, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia. The "accession protocols are amendments to the North Atlantic Treaty, NATO's founding document, that will permit the seven invited countries (…) to become parties to the Treaty and members of NATO", a NATO press release states. The 19 NATO member countries will now ratify, accept or approve the protocols, according to their national requirements and procedures. Once the ratification process is complete, the NATO Secretary General will invite the seven countries to become parties to the North Atlantic Treaty.