MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd October, 2019) Russia opposes the creation of military alliances modeled on NATO, which is not something that could occur in Asia naturally, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.
"Our stance is to oppose the creation of new blocs similar to [those that sprang up in] Europe and the North Atlantic after World War II," he said at a Valdai discussion club meeting in Sochi.
Turning to Asia, Putin said that he considered the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to be the main regional group, around which other organizations coalesced.
"But if there were attempts to create blocs, I think, it would be something alien to Asia as a whole and specifically to what is it now," he said.
"These attempts are not likely to be successful. I know how many of ours friends in Asia feel about it: they do not want to team up on anyone. They want to build a network of cooperation in various areas and ... make compromises that would respect each other's interests ... They do not want to be dragged into a tug-of-war between any countries," Putin said.
