MEDIAFAX 35. 2002 - Al doilea președinte american vine la București, iar România este invitată să înceapă negocierile de aderare la NATO

In 2002, Romania made significant strides towards Euro-Atlantic integration, being invited to start NATO accession talks at the Prague summit. Shortly after, President George W. Bush visited Bucharest, reinforcing U.S. support for Romania's Euro-Atlantic path. The EU also set a 2007 accession target for Romania and Bulgaria. MEDIAFAX closely covered these pivotal events, including Bush's symbolic visit, where he met Romanian leaders and emphasized the importance of Romania's NATO membership. The visit was a public affirmation of U.S. backing for Romania's NATO aspirations, following months of supportive messages from the U.S. administration. Romania's NATO accession process was seen as a culmination of efforts dating back to the post-communist era, with the goal of finalizing membership by 2004.