"Let me thank Uzbekistan for support of NATO’s peacekeeping operations in Afghanistan. The Uzbek President Islam Karimov, at a NATO summit in Bucharest, noted that Uzbekistan supports NATO efforts to stabilize the situation in Afghanistan. We highly appreciate Uzbekistan for providing support in transiting non-military cargo to the International Security Assistance Forces (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan. As the Uzbek President Islam Karimov said at the Bucharest summit, we must ensure stability in Afghanistan so that this country does not pose a threat not only to neighbouring countries but also to the entire world," Robert Simmon’s message reads.

He said that relations between Uzbekistan and NATO are strengthening every year. “For the recent years, we are developing our cooperation in many fields such as training Uzbekistan’s servicemen under the Melange project and in some scientific projects,” the message says.