Quad will never be like NATO: External Affairs Minister – The Tribune India

Sandeep Dikshit

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 19

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar completely ruled out the four-nation Quad ever evolving into a NATO-like structure.

Military alliances have never been Indias heritage... The people who use NATO-kind of analogy either dont understand us at all and dont know what our Independence means to us. One explanation I have is complete ignorance and lack of understanding of the Indian mindset, he said at All India Management Associations (AIMA) National Leadership Conclave today.

S Jaishankar, External Affairs Minister

Military alliances not Indias heritage

Military alliances have never been Indias heritage... The people who use NATO-kind of analogy either dont understand us at all and dont know what our Independence means to us.

Or these people are using these words deliberately to discourage or dissuade or mislead us from doing what is in our own interest, he said.

Jaishankar suggested a military alliance would be tantamount to abandoning Indias independence of approach. On Quad, he said it was very reasonable in international relations to have countries with convergences and shared interests to work together.

But I wouldnt exaggerate and wrongly create the imagery of a NATO military alliance, cold war etc. That has never been Indias heritage. During the cold war also, we stayed away from NATO, he added. Jaishankars outright rejection of the Quad evolving into an Asian NATO comes at a time when border talks with China and peace talks with Pakistan are stalemated.

Giving an insight into what is discussed at Quad, Jaishankar said the four ministers discussed how to ensure students move around and travel in a Covid environment easily.

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Quad will never be like NATO: External Affairs Minister - The Tribune India