BISHKEK (TCA) — India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to attend the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on June 23 and 24, where he would also seek the support of Russia, Kazakhstan, and China for India’s entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is a group of nuclear supplier countries that seeks to contribute to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons through the implementation of two sets of Guidelines for nuclear exports and nuclear-related exports. The 48-member organization controls access to sensitive nuclear technology and regulates all international nuclear commerce, to ensure non-proliferation of nuclear technology and goods.
India and Pakistan were both welcomed as new members of the SCO at the summit in Ufa in July 2015, and some procedural issues have to be completed by both countries.
According to media reports, Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered his country’s support for India’s entry into the NSG, while China is reportedly the most significant country opposed to India’s entry. Beijing says that countries like India, which have not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, should not be made members of the NSG, and if that criterion is relaxed for India, the same should be done for Pakistan. Chinese media have reported that India’s entry would create an “imbalance” of power in South Asia.
There are also reports that Kazakhstan has some reservations about India’s membership of the NSG.
The NSG plenary meeting at which India’s admission to the group would be finalized is to take place in Seoul, South Korea on June 23 and 24, coinciding with the SCO Summit in Uzbekistan.
