Addressing a meeting with visiting Arab journalists meeting NATO officials here, he said that the NATO and Kuwait were exchanging data in line with a bilateral agreement both sides are bound to. They are now discussing the transit agreement, he added.
Such agreements are of a general nature and are basic documents for establishing a practical partnership with a country, to facilitate the transit of people, vehicles and material for the conduct of operations under UN Security Council Resolutions. They represent an important practical tool that can be used in the frame of the partnership, a NATO official had explained.
Bisognierom referred to the Mediterranean dialogue the NATO launched in 2004 and the Istanbul summit with the Middle East countries when the 26-member military alliance launched the "Istanbul Cooperation Initiative". The initiative is offered by NATO to interested countries in the region, starting with the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, to foster mutually beneficial bilateral relationships and thus enhance security and stability, the final communiqu{ then said.
It also focuses on practical cooperation where NATO can add value, notably in the defense and security fields. This initiative is distinct from, yet takes into account and complements, other initiatives involving other international actors.
According to Bisognierom, the NATO’s role differed from the Cold War era as it came to seek realizing security and stability in many countries under the Un umbrella, such as the Balkans and Afghanistan, in cooperation with other institutions such as the World Bank and the European Union.
