Brussels - US President Barack Obama deserves the Nobel Peace Prize for his "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples," NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen said Friday.

"(Obama) has also demonstrated his strong commitment to help build peace and defend fundamental human rights, including through the Atlantic Alliance. This honour is well deserved," NATO's secretary general said in a statement.

NATO is actively engaged in stopping nuclear proliferation, one of Obama's priorities, while the US president's fresh approach to Russia has helped defrost relations between Moscow and the transatlantic alliance. (dpa)