Mexico backs India’s bid for NSG membership after Swiss support

Mexico City: India on Thursday secured Mexico’s backing in its bid to become member of the NSG as it aggressively scouted for support ahead of a crucial meeting of the 48-nation nuclear trading bloc in Vienna.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto announced his country’s support to India’s membership for the elite Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) after holding wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a major focus on further deepening cooperation in a range of areas including trade and investment, information technology, energy and space.
“Mexico recognises India’s bid to be part of the NSG. As a country, we are going to be positively and constructively supporting India’s request in recognition of the commitment by Prime Minister Modi to the international agenda of disarmament and non proliferation of nuclear weapons,” Nieto said at a joint media interaction with Modi.
On his part, the Prime Minister thanked the Mexican President for his country’s support and called Mexico an important partner for India’s energy security.
He said both the countries have agreed to work and develop a “roadmap of concrete outcomes” to upgrade ties to a strategic partnership.
He added: “We both feel that our growing convergence on international issues allows us to join our capacities to strengthen international regimes of strategic importance. I thank President Pena Nieto for Mexico’s positive and constructive support for India’s membership of the NSG.”
Modi on Monday visited Switzerland, another key member of the NSG, and the European country – known to have strong proliferation concerns – had announced its support to India’s candidature at the bloc that looks after critical issues relating to nuclear sector and its members are allowed to trade in and export nuclear technology.
Membership of the grouping will help India significantly expand its atomic energy sector. A meeting of the NSG later today in Vienna is scheduled to discuss India’s membership application which will be followed by another meeting on June 24 in Seoul. India has been reaching out to NSG member countries seeking support to its membership.
China has been opposing India’s membership at the premier club, arguing that it was not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
The US has been strongly supporting India and asked various NSG members to support New Delhi’s bid.
The issue had figured prominently during talks between Modi and US President Barack Obama in Washington on Tuesday.
The US and many other NSG member countries have supported India’s inclusion based on its non-proliferation track record.
The NSG works under the principle of unanimity and even one country’s vote against India will scuttle its bid.
India has been pushing for membership of the bloc for last few years and had formally moved its application on May 12.
Earlier this week, India cleared all hurdles in getting membership of the the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), a key anti-proliferation grouping, as no member country opposed its entry into it. Membership of the group will help India access high-end missile technology.
The NSG had granted an exclusive waiver for India in 2008 to access civil nuclear technology after China reluctantly backed India’s case based on the Indo-US nuclear deal.   (PTI)