DUSHANBE, November 13, 2012, Asia-Plus -- NATO Deputy Secretary General Ambassador Alexander Vershbow has hailed ‘considerable support’ provided to the Alliance by all Central Asian countries in the areas of transit arrangements and counter-narcotics, Silk Road Newsline reported.

“By working more closely together, Afghanistan and its neighbors can prevent the re-creation of havens for terrorism and other illegal activities such as narcotics production,” Vershbow was quoted as saying at the 9th Annual Worldwide Security Conference “Reshaping Economic Security in Southwest Asia and the Middle East” in Brussels, Belgium, on November 12.

This year’s Worldwide Security Conference, conducted annually by the EastWest Institute, a New York-based think tank, reportedly brought together some 300 high-level policy makers, business and investment executives and public opinion leaders from all over the world to brainstorm the issues of economic security in region of Central and Southwest Asia and the Middle East in light of the 2014 U.S. and NATO withdrawal from Afghanistan.

According to Vershbow, “NATO’s regional partnerships also have a role to play” in helping ensure the security of Afghanistan after 2014.

“Security is the foundation of prosperity, and with the goal of enhancing security, NATO has built partnerships with all Central Asian countries, as well as with Pakistan and Russia,” Vershbow said.  “These partners have already provided considerable support, particularly in the areas of transit arrangements and counter-narcotics. And I hope that they will do even more post-2014, for example in terms of economic cooperation, investment, trade, and border security.”

In his opening remarks, NATO Deputy Secretary General urged conference participants “to take a fresh look at Afghanistan.”

“Look at where we are, and how far we’ve come.  And look at the opportunity we now have for Afghanistan to become a factor for peace and prosperity in Central Asia, rather than a source of instability and conflict,” Vershbow said.

This year’s Worldwide Security Conference agenda listed over 30 speakers including Kunio Mikuriya, Secretary General, World Customs Organization, Patricia Flor, EU Special Representative for Central Asia, Jawed Ludin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan, Robert Blake, U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs, Martti Ahtisaari, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former President of Finland and others.

The two-day conference agenda also included a full-day off-the-record discussion on “the pivotal role Afghanistan could play in regional economic security, notably in water and energy security, both as a regional economic partner as well as a key transit country.”