Just days after India failed to make the cut in the Nuclear Suppliers Group, the administration managed to earn itself a Missile Technology Control Regime membership. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar signed the instrument of accession to MTCR, a group that controls the export of missile technology and aims at preventing unchecked proliferation of missiles and their delivery system.
The MEA thanked the other 34 members of the group, for supporting India's inclusion, in a statement released later on. "India's entry into the regime as its thirty-fifth member would be mutually beneficial in the furtherance of international non-proliferation objectives," it read. India had applied for the membership in 2015, however, the move was blocked by Italy citing issues of the marines. It lifted its block only after the country agreed to send its marines home. Hopes were raised rather high last week as India pitched aggressively for the NSG membership, which was blocked by a determined China. MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup said it will continue to schedule discussions with the country at multiple levels. "We are going to continue discussing this with China. This is going to be an important element of our discussions with China. We will continue to impress upon them that relationships move forward on the basis of mutual accommodation of each other's interests, concerns and priorities," he said.
China is not a member of the MTCR as its membership request remains hanging since 2004. News of India's inclusion seemed distasteful to the Communist country.
