The visiting NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer expressed on Wednesday his backing to Albania's integration into the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the local ATA news agency reported.

"Albania's ambition for the NATO integration is lawful and should be supported," Scheffer said here during the meeting with Albanian President Alfred Moisiu.

"To me, it was important to be familiarized with Albania's aimsfor integration into the NATO alliance before the Istanbul Summit," Scheffer said, stressing that NATO's door was open to the countries that met the requested criteria.

During the meeting, Moisiu appreciated the NATO's role in his country and the Balkans as well as its important contribution madein Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia.

Meantime, he pointed out Albania's aspiration for integration into the NATO and the efforts that it has made to accomplish the standards set.

"We hope that at the Istanbul summit we get promising messages which will be a support to our targets," said Moisiu.

Scheffer arrived in Albania on Wednesday for a two-day visit inthe framework of a Balkan tour before the NATO summit, due in Turkey next month.

Source: Xinhua