India never had ‘Nato mentality’, says Jaishankar
India will not be constrained between Malacca Straits and Gulf of Aden: EAM
In a strong veiled message certainly to China and even perhaps India’s timetested friend Russia who has in turn been making thinly-veiled references to the four-nation Quad as an “Asian Nato” or IndoPacific Nato, external affairs minister (EAM) S. Jaishankar on Wednesday termed the use of words like “Asian Nato” as a “mindgame that people are playing”, adding that “other people can’t have a veto” over what India is “going to discuss and with whom” since this was India’s “choice”. He also made it clear that “that kind of Nato mentality has never been India’s”.
EAM Jaishankar also said that the “Indo-Pacific is a clear message that India will not be constrained between the Malacca Straits and the Gulf of Aden” since Indian “interests, influence and activities go way beyond”.
The EAM was participating in the ongoing Raisina Dialogue conference on Wednesday in the virtual format on the topic “Crimson Tide, Blue geometries: New partnerships for Indo-Pacific” along with both Australian foreign minister Marise Payne and French foreign minister JeanYves Le Drian.
The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) was formed as a military alliance by Western powers during the Cold War to guard against any invasion by the erstwhile Soviet Union or its allies.
It may be recalled that just recently in Mr Jaishankar’s presence in New Delhi, Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov had told the media in a veiled reference to the Quad that Russia had been hearing “talk of an Asian Nato”.
The phrase “Asian Nato” was also uttered by Russian ambassador Nikolay R. Kudashev at an online press conference on Wednesday in which he denounced the “western Indo-Pacific strategies” but had good words to say about India. Russia has been visibly unhappy over the Quad which it sees as a US-led formation.
◗ MR JAISHANKAR said that ‘other people can’t have a veto’ over what India is ‘going to discuss and with whom’ since this was India’s ‘choice’
◗ RECENTLY, RUSSIAN foreign minister had told the media in a veiled reference to the Quad that Russia had been hearing ‘talk of an Asian Nato’