NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday welcomed closer cooperation between the Alliance, Kuwait and other Gulf partners, according to a full text of his speech posted on NATO's website.

NATO chief made the remarks during a joint press conference with Kuwait's First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Sabah Khaled Al-Sabah in Kuwait.

Calling Kuwait a strong and dedicated NATO partner, Stoltenberg praised Kuwait's efforts to build greater security and stability in the Gulf region.

He said the two sides signed a NATO-Kuwait Transit Agreement last year to facilitate the transit of personnel and supplies to NATO's mission in Afghanistan.

Kuwait was the first country to join NATO's Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) in 2004. Now four countries, namely Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, have joined the initiative.

"Our relationship with Kuwait and the other the ICI partners reached a new level last year, when all four countries opened diplomatic missions to NATO," Stoltenberg said.

He added that NATO will step up cooperation with ICI countries in many areas, including fight against terrorism, energy security and cyber defence.

source: Xinhua