NATO membership is not a requirement for Moldova to qualify for EU membership, stated Andrei Stratan, Moldova’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration, and Robert Simmons, Deputy Assistant Secretary General of NATO for Security Cooperation and Partnership, during a news conference on Thursday, January 17. Andrei Stratan stated that the EU entry is not and has never been conditioned on joining NATO. There are some EU member countries which, without holding NATO membership, have the opportunity to cooperate with the North-Atlantic Treaty Organisation through a multitude of programmes, said Stratan. Robert Simmons also noted that NATO membership is not a prerequisite for Moldova to eventually become an EU member. The Moldovan Foreign Minister mentioned that among the problems discussed with the NATO official was the Transnistria issue, in particular the withdrawal of foreign troops from Moldova’s territory. Our country appreciates highly NATO’s and its member countries’ position on this matter, said Stratan, adding that it is very important to Moldova that the member countries maintain this consolidated position regarding the Transnistria settlement. He added that NATO respects Moldova’s neutrality, and the cooperation between the two sides is built on the observance of this principle. Robert Simmons said NATO is satisfied with Moldova’s achievements under the Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP), which should be carried on. He pointed out that NATO is firmly convinced the Russian Federation should honour its Istanbul commitments, adding that the Organisation will further support these principles. Robert Simmons’ two-day visit to Moldova will end tomorrow. Until then he will have meetings with a number of Moldovan officials and take part in a roundtable meeting themed “Moldova – NATO Partnership: Strengthening Security by Implementing IPAP”, organised by the Chisinau-based Centre for Documentation and Information on NATO. A number of Moldova politicians as well as national and international experts argue that there are no other channels for European integration than through NATO.