There is an immense potential for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) to work with India, its Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on this Tuesday, while stating that without getting integrated in military operations, there are several ways for cooperation as the two share similar values for a “rules-based international world order” which are now being collectively threatened.
“Very often the main tool of NATO is not military operations but political dialogue for cooperation, partnerships, capacity building. So there is huge potential for NATO to work with India in different ways learning mutually and sharing experiences. Without being part of military cooperation there are many ways to work together which doesn’t involve the military operations,” Mr. Stoltenberg stated speaking at the Raisina Dialogue being held virtually this year. “NATO is a military alliance but is also a political alliance,” he said.
India is really a major player not only in the region but globally and a growing economy and an important voice in global community. India is a country which believe in the same core values, and stands for a rules based order, the same values that NATO believes in, Mr. Stoltenberg stated. “Therefore, it makes it even more important to see how we can work together and cooperate not least because these values are threatened,” he stated.
We see today the rise of authoritarianism, countries that “do not share these values”, China, Russia, also to some extent working together, undermine the rules based order which has served us so well for so many decades, he stated adding, “Therefore we believe and to some extent as part of NATO Project 2030 that we must strength partnerships with like-minded democracies countries in the Indo-Pacific region.”
Mr. Stoltenberg said India is at the forefront of many of our shared security challenges from Afghanistan and terrorism to maritime security. “We can do more together. Consult, coordinate and take concerted action to address global threats that are greater than any country or continent can tackle alone. And also to safeguard our goals of democracy, freedom and rule of law and protect our way of life,” he stressed.
The rise of China is a defining global issue which has implications for all that NATO cannot ignore, he stated. Stating that they don’t see China as an adversary and there are opportunities with China’s rise, both economic and in addressing global challenges such as global governance, international trade and climate change; Mr. Stoltenberg stated they must be clear headed about challenges that comes with China’s rise today. “China is matching its military capabilities with its economic power and has tripled its military expenditure over the last decade now having the second largest defense budget,” he stated.
“At the same time China does not share our ideologies. It persecutes ethnic and religious minorities such as Uighurs, suppresses human rights in Hong Kong and is using new and advanced technologies to monitor and control its own people using governmental surveillance…,” he said.
We have also seen more assertive steps by Beijing to challenge the rules-based international order, he stating adding it is “openly threatening Taiwan, coercing neighbors in the region and hampering the freedom of navigation in the South China Sea with trade routs.”
“China’s rise has real implications on our security collectively,” Mr. Stoltenberg concluded.
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