Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Tashkent for the annual meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), France on Wednesday came out in support of India for the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership. France joined the USA and Russia in seeking support for India and asking members to take a “positive decision” on New Delhi’s bid while saying India’s entry into NSG will bolster global efforts for combating proliferation.
“France considers that India’s entry into the four multilateral export control regimes — NSG, MTCR, The Australia Group, The Wassenaar Arrangement — will bolster international efforts on combating proliferation. India’s participation in these bodies will help better regulate the export of sensitive goods, whether they are nuclear, chemical, biological, ballistic or conventional materials or technologies. In line with its active and long-standing support to India’s entry to the NSG club as a full-fledged member, France called on its members, who are meeting on June 23 in Seoul, to take a positive decision,” the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International development plan said in a statement.
Coincidentally, the meeting of both SCO and NSG, where India’s membership application will be considered, begins on Thursday. While India and Pakistan have been given membership to the SCO, both countries are lobbying hard for a place in the elite 48-nation NSG. Pakistan certainly has China’s backing while most of the other countries are with India. In fact, India has spent a lot of diplomatic capital over the last few years to garner this support despite having a waiver in 2008 from NSG rules governing civil nuclear trade.
At that point, then External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee had pledged to maintain moratorium on test of nuclear weapons by India. Accepting his pledge, the NSG decided to hold an emergency session in case New Delhi carried out a nuclear test in the future. However, India now wants NSG membership to be able to trade freely for its civil nuclear projects in energy sector and expand its export market.
Interestingly, at the time when the 48-nation grouping of the NSG will be discussing India’s application in Seoul, Modi will be meeting Chinese President Xi Jinping in Tashkent to persuade him to support India’s bid. The meeting between the two leaders will take place on the sidelines of the SCO meeting on Thursday where India will be joining as a new member.
China is the main opponent to India’s candidature in the NSG and citing procedure and technicalities it is trying to block Indian bid. China has underlined that for NSG membership India must sign nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT). India, however, has cited France’s case as a precedent for the inclusion of a nation without being NPT signatory. Interestingly, SartazAziz, Advisor to Pakistan PM on Foreign Affairs, said on Tuesday that Islamabad was making “successful efforts” against India’s membership plans at the NSG.
While Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar has already reached Seoul to push India’s case at the NSG and “clarify” any doubts, Modi will hold bilateral meetings with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of SCO to discuss NSG. Putin is believed to have already spoken to Xi in favour of India.
Meanwhile, at the SCO annual summit in Tashkent, India will sign the first Memorandum of Obligations to begin the process of its accession to the grouping as a full-fledged member along with Pakistan. According to Secretary (West) Sujata Mehta several other documents have to be signed as per schedule over a period of time. “More than 30 documents have to be acceded aligned our processes with what has already been agreed by other SCO members,” Mehta said.
The SCO was founded in 2001 by Russia, China, Kyrgyz Republic, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. India, Iran and Pakistan were admitted as observers at the 2005. In June 2010, SCO decided to expand the grouping, paving way for India’s membership. SCO will provide India an opportunity to have extended cooperation on counter-terrorism, trade, culture and energy.