NEW DELHI: After the
United States ,
France
has strongly backed India's membership bid for the
Nuclear Suppliers Group and has asked member nations to take a "positive decision".
"France considers that India's entry into the four multilateral export control regimes (
NSG, MTCR, The Australia Group, The Wassenaar Arrangement) will bolster international efforts for combating proliferation.
A key member of the 48-nation grouping, France also asserted that India's participation in nuclear control regimes will help better regulate the export of sensitive goods, whether they are nuclear, chemical, biological, ballistic or conventional materials and technologies.
"In line with its active and long-standing support to India's entry to the NSG as a full-fledged member, France calls on its members, who are meeting on 23 June in Seoul, to take a positive decision," the French foreign ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also mentioned that strategic partners since 1998, France and India share common goals regarding the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and their delivery systems.
These goals were reaffirmed during the visit of the President of the French Republic to India, from 24 to 26 January 2016, it added. The French President was the Chief Guest at the Republic Day celebrations here.
On Tuesday, the United States had made an appeal to the members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) to consider and support India's application to join the grouping during their plenary meeting in Seoul.
China , which has been talking about procedures on India's entry, on Wednesday said it will play a "constructive" role in the discussions on India's bid for membership of the 48-member NSG.
However, Beijing reiterated that the issue was not on the agenda of the NSG meeting in Seoul.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that NSG members had three rounds of unofficial discussions on the entry of India and Pakistan into the grouping.
"China hopes to discuss further this issue and will play a constructive role in the discussions," she said.
"Although parties are yet to see eye-to-eye on this issue, such discussions help them better understand each other," she said.
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