ABU DHABI - NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Thursday that oil-rich Gulf states faced the same risks as countries in the military alliance.
The "same risks and threats increasingly affect the security of all our nations," Rasmussen told a conference here on relations between NATO and the United Arab Emirates.
Among the threats he cited were "extremism, terrorism, trans-national crime and, the most dangerous, terrorists getting their hands on the most dangerous weapons."
"I believe the alliance matters a great deal to your security as well," WAM news agency quoted Rasmussen as saying.
"We share interest in helping countries like Afghanistan and Iraq to stand on their feet again, fostering stability in the Middle East... and preventing countries like Somalia and Sudan from slipping deeper into chaos."
"We all are seriously concerned about Iran's nuclear ambitions, and about the nuclear domino-effect they could cause in a region that is pivotal for global stability and security."
The NATO chief also pleaded for a settlement of the Middle East peace process based on the two states of "Israel and Palestine (which) should live side by side in peace and security."
Rasmussen earlier oversaw the signing of a security agreement on the exchange of information between the UAE and NATO.
The UAE and three other Gulf monarchies -- Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar -- are involved in the "Istanbul Initiative" aimed at strengthening cooperation between the alliance and several Arab countries.
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