The NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer called on Thursday for more security cooperation between Persian Gulf Arab states and the 26-nation alliance to address Iran’s nuclear programme and Islamist militancy, Reuters reported on Jan. 24.

“Iran’s uranium enrichment activities and missile programmes are indeed a continuing concern,” he said on his first visit to Persian Gulf, Arab allies’ countries in Abu Dhabi.

“Extremism, transnational crime and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction are a threat to us all,” de Hoop Scheffer said.

“I am very certain … that the leaders of this country do not only have a very sound understanding of the common security challenges before us, but also a genuine interest in military-to-military cooperation,” de Hoop Scheffer said.