Washington - Bosnia-Herzegovina and Montenegro were invited Thursday to join a group of countries seeking membership in the NATO alliance, the US State Department said Thursday.

The Adriatic Charter, which consists of Albania, Croatia and Macedonia, extended invitations to the two Balkan states during a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said.

"This decision was made in the firm belief that this expansion of the charter will further strengthen mutual cooperation and advance Euro-Atlantic integration," McCormack said.

Albania, Croatia and Macedonia under the guidance of the United States founded the Adriatic Charter in 2003 to help the countries join the NATO alliance. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice met with foreign ministers from the three countries in New York. (dpa)