QUAD cooperation to counter challenges in the dispersed world: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar

Munich: – Indian External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said, ‘Some interested parties refer to the QUAD cooperation between India, the United States, Japan and Australia as Asian NATO. But one should not slip into it, underlining that the four-nation grouping is a kind of 21st century way of responding to a more diversified and dispersed world. No country in the world, not even the US, has the ability to address global challenges all on their own.’

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar participated in Germany‘s Munich Security Conference-2022 (MSC-2022). While speaking on the topic ‘A Sea Change? Regional Order and Security in the Indo-Pacific’ Minister Jaishankar indirectly reprimanded China, blaming the QUAD cooperation as an Asian NATO. China has accused QUAD of being Asian NATO while criticising the cooperation between the member countries. Some other countries also are viewing the cooperation from a similar angle. But Jaishankar clarified during the MSC-2022 that the QUAD cooperation had been started taking into account the broad and common interests.

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar highlighted ‘Quad is a grouping of four countries who have common interests, common values, a great deal of comfort, who happen to be located at four corners of the Indo-Pacific’ External Affairs Minister also emphasised ‘No country in the world, not even the US, has the ability to address global challenges all on their own.’

External Affairs Minister Jaishankar appealed that referring to ‘QUAD as Asian NATO is a completely misleading term. There are interested parties who advance that kind of analogies. I urge you not to slip into that lazy analogy of an Asian-NATO. ‘Jaishankar pointed out that three countries out of India-Japan-Australia-the United States have entered this cooperation based on an agreement. India has not joined given this agreement. He also said that the Indian cooperation with Japan, Australia and the United States has been developing for 20 years, but QAUD has its own independent importance.

While mentioning the tension created with China on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar pointed out that the QUAD cooperation was started in 2017 and not in 2020. It indirectly answered the people linking the QUAD cooperation to the dispute on the LAC in Ladakh. External Affairs Minister Jaishankar once again asserted during the MSC-2022 that China was responsible for the tension on the LAC in Ladakh. Peace prevailed on the border between the two countries for 45 years. There have been no casualties on the India-China LAC since 1975. Because India and China had signed an agreement, large military deployments would not be made near the LAC. But China violated the deal. Jaishankar once again clarified that India-China relations are currently most strained and are passing through their worst phase ever.