In a strong message, the U.S. has asked Pakistan to ensure that its territory is not used for planning attacks in India and to go after all terror groups operating from its soil, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said terrorism is being “incubated in India’s neighbourhood”.
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Modi described the U.S.as “an indispensable partner”, and predicted that “our relationship is primed for a momentous future”.
“Five days, five countries!”
Mexico supports India in efforts to join non-proliferation body the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), President Enrique Pena Nieto said on Wednesday, and was thanked by visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto drives Prime Minister Narendra Modi to a restaurant for Mexican vegetarian fare in Mexico City on on June 8, 2016.
The Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said that Pakistan has expressed concern over growing Indo-US defence relations, disturbing strategic and conventional balance of power in the region.
Pena Nieto also announced that the two nations were upgrading their ties from “privileged” to “strategic” partners.
The two approvals, in tandem with the US’ strong backing, appear to have strengthened India’s bid for membership to the bloc that regulates global nuclear commerce.
The US and many other NSG member countries have supported India’s inclusion based on its non-proliferation track record. The US, Japan, Mexico, and Switzerland all support India gaining membership.
“I will hold talks with President Schneider-Ammann to deepen our bilateral and multilateral cooperation”, Modi said.
Shah said it is due to the success of the BJP government’s “aggressive diplomacy” that India is poised to become a member of the major multi-lateral export control regime – the 34-member Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR).
NSG membership is very crucial for India.
“There’s movement, including towards a process, but we’d have to see what that process would look like”, one diplomat said after the closed-door talks on Thursday aimed at preparing for an annual NSG plenary meeting in Seoul later this month.
The two leaders pledged to continue promoting the shared goals of nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation as solutions with multilateral perspective, as well as to continue promoting cooperation on worldwide security issues.
India’s NSG membership issue comes at a time of deepening divisions between China and the USA over the disputed South China Sea. If only India is made member of NSG then it will give rise to destabilisation.
Modi paid tribute to the role of Congress, including through a civilian nuclear deal in 2008 that lifted USA export restrictions on nuclear technology to India and which is hoped to lead to a contract by mid-2017 for the construction of six power reactors by US -based Westinghouse Electric Co. Pakistan’s application for the membership should also be given equal weightage with the Indian application for becoming member of the NSG. There should be no discriminatory approach over granting membership to non-NPT countries to Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
Mexico has also extended support to India’s International Solar Alliance initiative, which was launched at the Paris climate talks a year ago.
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Both sides discussed ways to boost trade and investment. This would be Modi’s last meeting with outgoing US President and “his friend” Barack Obama.
