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India`s membership of Australia Group reaffirms our non-proliferation credentials: PM Modi
India on Friday had gained entry into the Australia Group (AG), an important non-proliferation regime.
Highlights
- PM Modi on Saturday said India's entry into the elite nuclear clubs, including Australia Group, has reaffirmed India's commitment to global peace.
- India had on Friday gained entry into the AG, an important non-proliferation regime which seeks to ensure that exports do not contribute to the development of chemical or biological weapons.
- After the MTCR and the Wassenaar Arrangement, the membership in another of the four major export control regimes is expected to give India a leg-up in its bid to secure a berth in the 48-member Nuclear Suppliers Group.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said India's entry into the elite nuclear clubs, including Australia Group (AG), has reaffirmed the country's non-proliferation credentials.
"Over the last two years, India's membership of MTCR, Wassenaar Arrangement and Australia Group reaffirms India's strong non-proliferation credentials and also our commitment to global peace and security," PM tweeted.
He also thanked Australia and other members of the AG for supporting India's entry in the club on Friday.
The Australia Group admitted India as the 43rd member through a consensus decision. It is the third export control group India has joined. It is already a member of Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and Wassenaar Arrangement on Export Controls for Conventional Arms and Dual-Use Goods and Technologies.
The government in a statement on Friday had said that India joined the Australia Group after internal procedures for joining the club were completed.
"On 19 January 2018 India formally became the 43rd member of the Australia Group (AG), the cooperative and voluntary group of countries working to counter the spread of materials, equipment and technologies that could contribute to the development or acquisition of chemical and biological weapons (CBW) by states or terrorist groups," the AG had said in a release.
Reacting to India's entry to the group, MEA spokesperson Ravish Kumar had said that it would be "mutually beneficial and to help in non-proliferation".
He had added that the membership in the AG would further contribute to the international security and non-proliferation objectives.
"India would like to thank each of the AG participants for their support for India's membership. We would also like to thank Ambassador Jane Hardy of Australia, former Chair of the Australia Group, for her role in facilitating India's accession to the Group," Kumar had said.
(With IANS and PTI inputs)