MUNICH, Feb. 4 (Xinhuanet) -- NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said here Saturday that the military alliance will establish closer links with nations beyond Europe.

    Speaking at the 42nd Munich Conference on Security Policy, Scheffer said that NATO's "partners are playing a critical role" in Afghanistan, which he said illustrated a new reality -- in the new security environment.

    He described the links with NATO's partner countries -- from Austria to Finland and from Armenia to Kazakhstan -- as "a true asset".

    "We need to ensure that we have the closest possible partnership with those countries that can, and are willing to, help defend our shared values," he added.

    He said that the 26-member military bloc is not a global policeman, but "we have increasingly global partnerships."

    NATO would build closer ties with nations such as Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan, he said.

    He urged that NATO should strengthen ties with the European Union, saying "deeper transatlantic dialogue within NATO isn't enough".

    "We also have to build a pragmatic, strategic partnership with the EU," he said.

    A strong and vibrant EU to grow in partnership with NATO as a major security actor "is in all of our interests."

    He urged for political, military and financial solidarity, as "solidarity is the key" in taking up the different challenges in this new world.

    The NATO chief said the alliance needed more changes to the way it worked, adding a summit, to take place in November in Riga, capital of Latvia, meant that the bloc stood in an important transformational moment. Enditem