NATO military alliance hails EU Nobel peace award

(BRUSSELS) - NATO, the military alliance set up by the United States after World War II, on Friday saluted the award of the Nobel Peace Price to the European Union for promoting stability on the continent.

"I would like to offer my warmest congratulations," NATO head Anders Fogh Rasmussen said in a statement.

"The European Union has played a vital role in healing the wounds of history and promoting peace, reconciliation and cooperation across Europe," said Rasmussen, a former Danish premier.

"It has contributed to the advancement of freedom, democracy and human rights across the continent and beyond."

NATO and the EU are both headquartered in Brussels, and Rasmussen added: "From the outset, NATO and the European Union have shared common values and helped shape the new Europe.

"The European Union is a unique and essential partner for NATO."

Nobel Committee president Thorbjoern Jagland said in Oslo announcing the award that the EU has "for over six decades contributed to the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe."