NATO's doors will be open if India is interested

US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith affirmed that NATO is ready to engage more with India. (Source: NATO)

According to ANI news agency, citing information from a press conference on March 31, US Ambassador to NATO Julianne Smith affirmed that "the message that has been sent back to India is that the NATO alliance is certainly ready to engage more with India if the country is interested in pursuing that."

Informal talks between officials held during the Raisina Dialogue in New Delhi in early March “somewhat opened up the conversation,” Smith said.

However, the US diplomat said NATO remains Euro-Atlantic in its core. “Membership is not something that we are really considering with anyone in the Indo-Pacific or Asia-Pacific,” and the bloc “has no plans to expand into a broader global military alliance.”

NATO currently has 40 different partners around the world . The NATO foreign ministers’ meeting is scheduled to take place in Brussels from April 4-5 and the organization has invited Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Japan to attend. Four countries in the Indo-Pacific region have formal partnerships with the alliance.

Explaining India's non-invitation, Ambassador Smith said the meeting included NATO members and countries with formal partnerships.

“In terms of the future with India, I think NATO’s door is open if India is interested. But we don’t want to invite them to a NATO ministerial at this stage until we know more about their desire to join the alliance more broadly.”

Ms. Smith also acknowledged that India plays an important role in ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

According to Wion , the above remarks were made at a time of major geopolitical changes in Europe and the Indo-Pacific region amid the Russia-Ukraine conflict and China's aggressive actions from ASEAN to India.

Moscow has blamed the current conflict in Ukraine on NATO expansion.

World news on the morning of December 29: The first batch of Russian fertilizer arrives in Africa, TikTok is banned again in the US, Japan opens an embassy in Kiribati The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some notable world news this morning, December 29.

NATO warns of Moscow's vulnerability, US fears Russia-China 'rally' Russia has shown its willingness to suffer losses in the conflict with Ukraine, so military support for Ukraine is ...

World news in brief on the morning of March 9: Colors of Holi in India, US Secretary of Defense visits Israel, UK opens military base in Norway The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some notable world news this morning, March 9.

Former South Korean Foreign Minister Praises Indian Diplomacy's Ingenuity, Reveals New 'Destination' for Korean Businesses India is emerging as the focus of global diplomacy as the country bustles with international visitors attending ...

World news in brief on the morning of March 22: NATO Secretary General warns China, first US military base in Poland, Ecuadorian TV station receives letter bomb The World & Vietnam Newspaper highlights some notable world news this morning, March 22.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dai-su-my-canh-cua-cua-nato-se-rong-mo-neu-an-do-quan-tam-221936.html