BRUSSELS, June 1 (Xinhua) -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Friday discussed NATO-Colombia cooperation with visiting Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos.

Welcoming Santos at the new NATO headquarters, Stoltenberg said: "Our cooperation has provided real benefits -- both to Colombia and to NATO."

He noted that Colombia worked with NATO forces to counter piracy off the Horn of Africa in 2015.

During the talks, the leaders agreed that NATO and Colombia should work together in areas including cyber defense, demining, and promoting the role of women in peace and security, according to NATO's statement.

Santos' visit marks the first-ever visit by a Colombian head of state to the Alliance.

NATO's cooperation with Colombia has been developing since 2013, and Colombia officially became a NATO partner in May 2017, its first in Latin America.