Thiruvananthapuram: Countering the Left attack on the United Progressive Alliance government's foreign and strategic policies, Defence Minister A K Antony today said that India would never be a part of any military alliance though there would be defence co-operation with several countries.

Inaugurating the 'Think Tank on Defence and Foreign Policies' set up by the Kerala University under its centre for International Relations, the minister affirmed that India would continue the basic tenets of the Nehruvian foreign and defence policies which were moulded since the days of the freedom struggle and following it the country would not join any military alliance under any circumstances.

In the changed global scenario, the country would have to enter into defence co-operations with several countries but that would not mean that it was diluting its time-tested foreign and defence policies, the minister said.

Alluding to the Left criticism against joint military exercises with other countries, Antony said that such exercises were conducted not only with the western countries but also with Russia and China.

"Some of our friends have expressed concern over the joint military exercises. But they should realise that we are following the same basic tenets. The changes are only in the practical application of some aspects of this policy in tune with the changed global scenario," he said. (PTI)