Stating that the Quad has no intention of becoming a military alliance, General Naravane said it was a plurilateral grouping looking at issues specific to the Indo-Pacific region.

The Quad comprising India, the United States, Japan and Australia focused on promoting shared democratic ideologies and ensuring a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific within the context of concerns growing worlds regarding China’s growing assertiveness in the region.

“The Quad has neither the intention nor the attempt to be a military alliance. It is supposed to be a plurilateral grouping which focuses on issues specific to the Indo-Pacific,” he told PTI. in an interview.

“Some countries have described the Quad as a military alliance to raise unfounded fears despite no concrete evidence to show the same,” added the army chief.

China has severely criticized the Quad, saying the group aims to contain it in the Indo-Pacific.

Russia also criticized the Quad, saying it would undermine an inclusive dialogue for peace and stability in the region.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov last month used the term “Asian NATO” in the context of emerging alliances in Asia, which was seen as an indirect reference to Quad.

The army chief of staff also referred to the first Quad summit held in March which pledged to strengthen cooperation in the face of current challenges that are not limited to military and defense cooperation, but encompass all the security challenges facing the region.

“The Quad believes in a free and open Indo-Pacific and a number of sub-issues form the basis of its operationalization, such as the health and economic impact of COVID 19, climate change, cyberspace, infrastructure development , the fight against terrorism and humanitarian aid and disaster relief, ”he said.

General Naravane also explained his recent comments that the Quad will not be a NATO-style alliance.

“NATO’s origins as a military alliance lie in the conflicting bipolar world order that existed between the end of World War II and the dissolution of the Soviet Union,” he said, adding that Quad is not aiming to become a military alliance.

Developments in the Indo-Pacific region following China’s increase in military might have become a major topic of discussion among major world powers.

At the first Quad Summit in March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga pledged to fight for a free, open, inclusive, healthy Indo-Pacific region. , anchored by democratic values. , and unconstrained, in an apparent message to China.

The deliberations of the Quad Summit, held in virtual format, included vaccine collaboration, climate action, emerging technologies, resilient supply chain, counterterrorism and maritime security cooperation , among others.

India has always maintained that Quad is not aimed at any country.

The foreign ministers of the four countries held their first meeting as part of the “Quad” in New York in September 2019.

In November 2017, the four countries gave shape to the long-standing proposal to create the Quad to develop a new strategy to keep critical Indo-Pacific sea routes free from influence, in addition to cooperating on other matters.

India’s approach to the Indo-Pacific was articulated by Prime Minister Modi in his speech during the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in 2018.

Inclusion, openness and the centrality and unity of ASEAN are at the heart of India’s Indo-Pacific vision. The Association of 10 Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is a key player in the Indo-Pacific region.