Washington: Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar stated on Tuesday that his country does not support Japan’s incoming Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s goal for a “Asian Nato.”
Jaishankar stated that India had never been a treaty ally of another nation, in contrast to Japan, at a gathering held at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington.
He responded, “We don’t have that kind of strategic architecture in mind,” when questioned concerning Ishiba’s phone call. The United States, Australia, Japan, and India are the members of the so-called Quad grouping of nations, which was formed as a counterweight to China.
“We possess a distinct history and methodology,” Jaishankar remarked during his speech at the UN General Assembly held in New York last week.
In an effort to combat the worst security challenges Japan has faced since World War Two, Ishiba declared on Tuesday that he would pursue closer connections with friendly countries.
He demanded the establishment of a “Asian NATO,” the placement of Japanese soldiers on US territory, and even the sharing of authority over Washington’s nuclear arsenal as a means of dissuading Japan’s nuclear-armed neighbors, North Korea, China, and Russia. He makes the case that the adjustments would dissuade China from employing armed force in Asia. The notion has been dismissed by the US.
The US assistant secretary of state for East Asia and the Pacific, Daniel Kritenbrink, stated this month that it was premature to discuss the creation of a “Nato in the Indo-Pacific,” echoing remarks made by Jake Sullivan, the national security advisor, last year.
Nevertheless, Ishiba reaffirmed his proposal on Friday, stating at a news conference that “the relative decline of US might” necessitated the creation of an Asian treaty organization.
