On 15 May 2003, the Parliament of the Kingdom of Denmark approved in the second and final reading the ratification of the Protocols on Accession to NATO of Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia by an overwhelming majority of 100 votes in favour and 4 against.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia applauds the decision of the Danish Parliament and expresses gratitude to it for consistently supporting Latvia's progress towards NATO membership.

Latvia's accession to the Alliance has now been ratified by 4 countries: Canada, Norway, the USA and Denmark, with a further 15 ratifications remaining. Discussion on ratification of the protocols is currently underway in the German Bundestag.

The first vote on ratification of the Protocols on Accession took place in the Danish Parliament on 24 April, with a second vote scheduled for 8 May. The Parliament's voting procedure stipulates that the person submitting a document for parliamentary approval - which in this case was the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs - needs to be present when voting takes place. The Minister being outside of Denmark on 8 May, the vote on ratification was postponed until 15 May.

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