Bulgaria supports entry for Macedonia, Croatia and Albania into the NATO military bloc, a government minister said in the capital Sofia Sunday.

"For us as a land in the Balkans it is very important that the three states Macedonia, Croatia and Albania become members of the alliance," said Defence Minister Vesselin Bliznakov on state radio.

It is also important that all partner-states, such as Georgia and Ukraine, are included in the so-called NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP), Bliznakov said.

NATO ministers will discuss expansion at a summit in the Romanian capital Bucharest from April 2-4. Bulgaria has been a NATO member since 2004.