Brussels, 25/01/2011 (Agence Europe) - Brushing aside press criticism of his bilateral meeting with Uzbek President Islam Karimov on Monday 24 January (see EUROPE 10300), NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen highlighted the needs resulting from the conflict in Afghanistan. There were two reasons for his agreeing to meet Karimov, he said: firstly, the NATO-Uzbekistan partnership; and secondly, the role that Uzbekistan can play in the supply of Western troops in Afghanistan (Ed: as part of the NATO International Security Assistance Force). “I have to keep in mind the interests of our soldiers” who are risking their lives in Afghanistan and for whom it is vital that all necessary equipment is provided, he added, pointing out that Uzbekistan was one of the countries neighbouring the Afghan republic. He, nevertheless, stated that NATO was not ignoring human rights. “We have a continuous dialogue, including on democracy and human rights”, he said, before adding that both parties “share interest in Afghanistan”. In 1994, Uzbekistan joined the Partnership for Peace, a NATO flagship programme for the former Soviet republics. According to NATO, Monday's meeting did not come to any conclusions. It did, however, offer the opportunity to discuss ways of strengthening the partnership, a NATO press release says. (A.By./transl.rt)