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Russia, China do not pursue aim of creating military union — Lavrov

Relations between Moscow and Beijing are at a high level of mutual trust, the top diplomat said

NEW DELHI April 6. /TASS/. Relations between Russia and China are at a high level of mutual trust, but the two countries have no plans for creating a military union, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a news conference following talks with his Indian counterpart Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Tuesday.

"Russian-Chinese relations have achieved the best level in history, but these relations do not pursue the aim of creating a military alliance," he said.

Lavrov drew attention to current speculations "about military unions not only in connection with Russian-Chinese relations."

"There have been speculations about pushing ahead with projects for creating a Middle Eastern equivalent of NATO. Lately, some have begun to discuss an ‘Asian NATO’," he explained.

"We have exchanged opinion on that score. We share a common stance with our Indian friends that this would be counterproductive. We would like cooperation to be inclusive and in favor of something, and not against somebody," he said.