NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that he sees “potential” for the alliance and India to work together. Speaking to WION’s diplomatic correspondent Sidhant Sibal, Stoltenberg said, “We see value in strengthening our ties, our relationship with other democratic nations, India’s the biggest democracy in the world. Nations that share values.” The last few years have had some official-level talks between the two sides.
He also spoke on China’s aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific. Expressing concerns over Beijing’s “coercive behaviour”, he pointed out, “What happens in the Indian Ocean or in the South China Sea also matters for our security”.
The NATO chief was in Oslo for the two-day NATO informal foreign ministers meet. The Russia-Ukraine conflict, Sweden’s membership in the grouping, upcoming NATO summit in Lithuania dominated the agenda at the meeting. Read his full interaction with WION here:
WION: My first question to you is how European security architecture has changed since the conflict started last year.
Jens Stoltenberg: what we have seen is a war of aggression launched by President Putin and leadership in Moscow against the sovereign independent nation with internationally recognised borders. What allies have done, is that we have provided support to Ukraine because you have to remember this is, this is a war aggression. We have an aggressor Russia, invading another country, Ukraine. It is enshrined in the UN Charter as part of international law that when attacked, when you’re a victim of aggression, you have the right to self-defence. So, Ukraine defend itself and NATO Allies help Ukraine to uphold the right of self-defence. We are not a party to the conflict, but we support Ukraine in the right to defend against that.
WION: there have been drone strikes inside Russia, Do you think that it is going to escalate the conflict? Are you worried about the developments? What do you have to say about that?
Jens Stoltenberg: Wars are unpredictable. Wars are dangerous because there’s always the risk that things may escalate and go out of control. Therefore, NATO’s task is partly to provide support to Ukraine as we do, to help them to defend themselves, but also to prevent this war from escalating beyond Ukraine and becoming a full-fledged war between NATO and Russia and to do that we have increased our military presence in the eastern part of the alliance, by having forces in the eastern part of NATO, we are sending a message to Moscow, we are removing any room for miscalculation, misunderstanding in Moscow, about our readiness to protect and defend all allies. And by sending that message, we are preventing escalation, we’re preserving peace. The war in Ukraine is a tragedy. We have seen a lot of human suffering. But of course, a full-fledged war will be many, many times worse in Europe, we need to prevent that by sending a message to Moscow. Of course, it is dangerous when we have a full-fledged war in Europe. It was President Putin that started this war and President Putin can end his war, and that’s the best way to prevent any risk of escalation or for more human suffering.
WION: While European capitals are very worried about the conflict, there are concerns in the Indo-Pacific as well. The Chinese aggressive actions in the region have been a concerning development for countries like India, and Japan. How does NATO see that, the ongoing Chinese aggressive actions but also its actions towards India, in India’s northern borders
Jens Stoltenberg: We are concerned about China’s more coercive behaviour and the way they’re trying to coerce neighbours. And we have seen it in the South China Sea, seen it in the Indian Ocean. And of course, this highlights that security is global. NATO will remain a regional line between North America and Europe but what happens in the Indian Ocean or in the South China Sea also matters for our security as it matters of course for the countries in that region. And therefore, we are working more closely with our close partners, Pacific partners Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand and I think it is a potential for also NATO and India to work more closely together. But of course, that has to be something that is wanted from India, like from maritime security, cyber, on the effects of climate change, and now security. These are issues where I think there’s a potential for actually doing more together.
WION: India and NATO, there have been conversations in the past between the two sides. What are these conversations all about? And can we see some kind of future cooperation as well between India and NATO?
Jens Stoltenberg: NATO is the Alliance for North America & Europe, but we have global partners in Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific because we want to work together with partners and mutual interests to stay closer together. We have seen China, and Russia are coming closer and closer. And just before the invasion of Ukraine China and Russia signed the Declaration saying that their partnership has no limits. And we see how Russia and China have more naval patrols, and more able tools. They had just had a big joint naval exercise off the coast of Africa. So this matters for NATO, it matters for India, for countries in many places in the world, and therefore we see value in strengthening our ties, our relationship with other democratic nations, India’s the biggest democracy in the world. Nations that share values, that believe in the international rules-based, to work closer with them, not because we agree on all issues, but because we share the same basic values in international law, respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and therefore, I think there’s potential in working more closely together.
WION: how do you see India’s role on resolving the ongoing conflict? Do you see India’s role in resolving the ongoing conflict the Chinese have been putting up their own ideas and India has been saying as the Indian prime minister said that this is not an era of war. So if you can talk about that, your views on that?
Jens Stoltenberg: Well, I first of all, I welcome efforts to try to find a peaceful negotiated solution. But of course, it is for Ukraine to finally decide what kind of framework, what kind of conditions are acceptable for negotiations. Because again, Ukraine has been attacked. A significant part of the territory is occupied by Russia. And of course, you make have to make sure that a ceasefire or any other pause in the war is not just an excuse for Russia to regroup, to rearm, to reconstitute and then to rest and then to launch new attacks, because the war against Ukraine didn’t start in February last year. It started in 2014. That was when Russia annexed Crimea, and later on, the same year went into eastern Donbas. And since then, there have been attempts to negotiate ceasefires. We had something called the Minsk agreements, but there’s been a conflict going on there since 2014.
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