It was only in 2002, after NATO began talks to admit Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia, that relations began to sour.
Het was pas in 2002 nadat de NAVO gesprekken begon om Bulgarije, Estland, Letland, Litouwen, Roemenië, Slowakije, en Slovenië toe te laten, dat de relatie begon te verslechteren.