(VOVworld) – NATO is committed to increasing cooperation with Israel, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday while meeting Israeli President Reuven Rivlin at NATO headquarters in Brussels.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (photo:NATO)

Stoltenberg said that for more than 20 years, Israel has been a very active NATO partner through the Mediterranean dialogue, the only security forum that brings together NATO Allies with Israel and Arab countries.
He said Israel was the first Mediterranean dialogue country to agree a Security of Information Agreement with NATO in 2001. He stressed that NATO and Israel are taking cooperation a step further, agreeing to establish an Israeli Mission at NATO, headed by Israel's Ambassador to the European Union.  They also discussed the evolving security situation in the Middle East and Africa.