CHISINAU, December 20. /TASS/. Moldova will not be admitted to the European Union in the foreseeable future, neither will it join NATO, Moldova President Igor Dodon said on Thursday.

"Moldova will not be admitted to the European Union in the next 15 years. Let us not mislead people," he said at a news conference. According to Dodon, the association agreement signed by the government with the European Union should be considered as a possibility for reforms to improve the living standards in the country. "We do have some things to learn from the European Union in the economy, in the social and other spheres," he noted.

Dodon said it is a mistake that Moldova’s ruling pro-European coalition led by the Democratic Party is seeking closer cooperation with NATO. "The opening of a NATO Liaison Office in Moldova runs counter to the country’s neutrality principle, which must be strictly observed. The government took this decision in defiance of the country’s interests. It is illegal," he said, adding that opinion polls demonstrate that the majority of Moldova’s population are against joining NATO.

"We don’t want to be friends with the Americans against Russia or with the Russians against the Europeans. We should take the best from the West and from the East. It means we should conduct a balanced foreign policy. This is the only way to maintain stability, to prevent aggravation of the situation," he explained.

He recalled that that the presidential administration has elaborated a draft of the country’s foreign policy strategy based on balanced policies geared towards cooperation with both the East and the West. "I and my advisers presented this document in Moscow, Vienna, Brussels, Washington, Berlin and other capitals. And they understand and support this position," Dodon added.

Moldova’s government signed an association and free trade zone agreement with the European Union in June 2014. NATO’s Liaison Office was opened ion Chisinau in late 2017.