Jaishankar says Quad 'not another' NATO

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said that the alliance between the United States, Australia, Japan and India -- also known as the quad -- would not "become another" North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) but the alliance is a common platform looking at unmet demands in the market.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said that the alliance between the United States, Australia, Japan and India -- also known as the quad -- would not "become another" North Atlantic Treaty Orgzation (NATO) but the alliance is a common platform looking at unmet demands in the market.

Speaking at the All India Management Association National Leadership Conclave, the external affairs minister said that since independence, India has stayed away from alliances.

"The short answer is no," replied Jaishankar when asked if the four-country informal grouping could become 'another NATO'.

"The people who use that NATO kind of analogy either do not understand us at all, where we are coming from and what our independence means to us. The explanation I have is complete ignorance or the lack of understanding of the Indian mindset or they are using these words to discourage us," he said.

"Think of quad as a common platform for four important players who actually are looking at the unmet demands of the market... It's reasonable in international relations for countries that have a common interest to work together. I would not exaggerate this to create that image of NATO military alliance because that has never been India's heritage," he added.

The Quad is a strategic informal grouping of four democracies India, Australia, the United States and Japan to counterbalance and check China's growing influence in the Indo-Pacific region.

Along with diplomatic engagements, Quad countries also engage in military and naval exercises, freedom of navigation, and rule-based order is the key principle of this informal grouping.

China is critical of Quad and the Chinese ambassador was recently quoted as saying, "Building small circles in the name of multilateralism is in fact 'group politics'."

( With inputs from ANI )