Elated with India's membership in the Wassenaar Arrangement (WA), the Government on Friday said this will not only boost country's defence and space programmes but also contribute to international security and non-proliferation objectives.
India on Thursday became a member of the elite multilateral Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies. WA members during its Plenary Session in Vienna reviewed India's application for membership and decided to include India as the 42nd member of WA.
India in July 2016 became a member of another important grouping - Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR). India joining the WA and the MTCR boosts its claim for the membership of the other two important groupings — Nuclear Suppliers Group and the Australia Group — besides raising the country's stature in the field of non-proliferation. The membership to such groupings also help in easy access to nuclear fuel and acquiring important technologies.
"India's WA membership is expected to facilitate hi-technology tie-ups with Indian industry and ease access to high-tech items for our defence and space programmes. While membership of the Arrangement would not automatically entail any preferential treatment from other WA members, it would create grounds for re-alignment of India in the export control policy framework of other WA members including eligibility licensing exceptions. India's entry into the WA would be mutually beneficial and further contribute to international security and non-proliferation objectives," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said.
The WA is a grouping of countries established to contribute to regional and international security and stability, by promoting transparency and greater responsibility in transfers of conventional arms, dual-use goods and technologies, and ensure these do not reach the terrorists. The member countries need to have national policies in place that ensure that transfers of these items do not contribute to the development or enhancement of military capabilities and are not diverted to support such capabilities.
"As president of the Wassenaar Arrangement this year and co-rapporteur of India's candidacy, France warmly congratulates India for joining the Arrangement. One more recognition, after MTCR, of the growing role India plays in today's world," Alexendre Ziegler, French ambassador to India said.
US Ambassador, Ken Juster, too congratulated India for its membership. Congrats to India on becoming the 42nd member of Wassenaar Arrangement. So pleased because I worked on this initiative w/ @MEAIndia during my tenure as U/S of Commerce. US Govt looks fwd to further cooperation w/ India on export controls," Juster wrote on Twitter.