India's Fails To Get MTCR Membership, But Wins Wide Support

NEW DELHI: India has failed in its maiden attempt to win consensus support for its entry to the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).

But, inspiring hope for India, the outgoing Norwegian chairman of the grouping, Roald Næss, tweeted after the meeting concluded on October 9: "Broad support for Indian membership in MTCR, but regrettably no consensus yet. I remain optimistic." The 34-member voluntary grouping ended its 29th annual session in the port city of Rotterdam in Holland that day without any decision on India's application for membership.

India had formally submitted an application in June 2015 with active support from the U.S. and France. Although an odd country may have opposed India's proposal, there is considerable victory for the country insofar as most members of the various denial regimes have come to appreciate New Delhi's persistent non-proliferation policies on nuclear weapons and missiles.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup observed that India's application was "received well and it remains under consideration".

Although India was the target of some of these denial regimes right after its first nuclear test in 1974, New Delhi indicated its willingness to join them after its second nuclear tests in 1998. In April 2012, then foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai told strategic experts at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) in New Delhi that it was time for India to join these four regimes, beginning with the NSG.

This was the first formal, and categorical, move by India, and ever since, diplomats handling disarmament at the external affairs ministry have successfully engaged various capitals.

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