Addressing the NATO meeting, he added that real progress can be visible in that region if Palestine and Israel live together in peace.

‘Israel and Palestine should live side by side in peace and security. Palestinians stop violence and arms activity against Israel anywhere, and Israel to vacate the Palestinian occupied territory and stop settlements’, he said, while addressing the International conference on NATO-UAE relations and the future prospects of Istanbul Cooperation initiative on Thursday here at Emirates Palace.

He urged Israel to take all necessary steps to normalise Palestinians’ life and stop all settlement activities, while the Palestinian undertake to reform their civil institutions and security structures.

‘Israel should vacate all those areas occupied to bring situation to normal in the Middle East and vacate the Palestinian territory under occupation after Al -aqsa intifada in 2000 and be ready to do whatever it takes for an Independent, viable sovereign and democratic Palestinian state. Palestinian leadership must issue a clear statement recognising Israel’s right to exist in peace and security’.

Rasmussen underlined that two parties must conclude an agreement, end the occupation which started in 1967, have just and fair settlement of refugees issue, and negotiate solution to status of Jerusalem taking into account political and religious concerns of both parties.

He added that ‘if these conditions are met we can realise a lasting peace in this region based on two states Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace and security and this could help pave the way for a comprehensive Arab Israeli peace’.

Talking about Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI), he appreciated the role of UAE and said that it has greatly contributed in NATO efforts in Afghanistan. He added that NATO is ready to undertake a new initiative in the broader Middle East region in future contribution to long term global and regional security and stability, while complementing other international efforts.

Rasmussen said that ICI offers new practical opportunity, and it should be sustained and further encouraged since it’s a two-way road initiative based on joint ownership, it is vital to NATO to engage a dialogue in which ICI countries can assess and express their needs to better streamline the cooperation effort.

The NATO secretary general lauded the role of United Arab Emirates under ICI framework and, adding that the UAE has demonstrated strong determination to be a provider of security well beyond the Gulf region.

‘Following its support for NATO’s successful peacekeeping operations in the Balkans during 1990s, the UAE has also made very welcome contributions to our engagement in Afghanistan. We look forward to building that common effort and reinforcing it, as well’. He described the UAE as very suitable venue for the meeting, indicating that the ‘UAE has quickly become a very active participant in the ICI’.

Rasmussen observed that UAE, other Gulf States and NATO allies have great potential to deepen their cooperation under the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative. He pointed out three areas to give fresh impulse, clear focus on practical cooperation, further developing ICI as a genuine framework for multilateral political consultations on the increasingly complex security challenges and finally for a new strategic concept for NATO for better defining its own role.

He added that ‘when I took office in August, I announced that the development of stronger ties between NATO and its partners in the Mediterranean and Gulf regions would be one of my key priorities. I have over the past three months held consultations with each of the Ambassadors from these eleven partner countries in Brussels.

The NATO said that ‘I used my visit to United Nations General Assembly in New York last month to meet with UAE Foreign Minister HH Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan and several other ministers from the regions.’ During my term in office, I am determined not only to maintain such an active dialogue, but to further intensify it,’ he added.

He observed that security of the countries in the Gulf region and Mediterranean, matter a great deal to NATO and added that ‘I believe the Alliance matters a great deal to your security as well’.

He underscored that ‘same risks and threats increasingly affect the security of all our nations, such as, extremism, terrorism, trans-national crime and the most dangerous terrorists getting their hands on the most dangerous weapons.’

‘We share interest in helping countries like Afghanistan and Iraq to stand on their feet again, fostering stability in the Middle East more broadly, and preventing countries like Somalia and Sudan from slipping deeper into chaos’, he added.

The NATO secretary general showed concerned about Iran nuclear ambitions and said, ‘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’.