"India has a stake in Afghan stability. China too. And both could help further develop and rebuild Afghanistan. The same goes for Russia. Basically, Russia shares our security concerns," Rasmussen said. He also argued that NATO should become "the hub of a network of security partnerships and a center for consultation on international security issues" in dealing with threats to its members. But it didn't mean NATO would be a competitor to the United Nations. "That is not possible, nor is it desirable," he said. "We are talking here about a group of nations consulting, formally or informally, on security. Nothing more," Rasmussen said.

NATO has 28 member nations, but its partnership involves 44 countries in Afghanistan, as well as ties with other regional fora, such as the group of Mediterranean nations.