India Becomes Full Member of Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)

On Monday, India joined The Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) as the 35^th member of the elite group. According to experts, this MTCR membership will enable India to deal in high-end missile technology.

Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar received MTCR membership papers in New Delhi on Monday, and signed the instrument of accession in the presence of France’s Ambassador-designate Alexandre Ziegler, Luxembourg’s Chargé d’Affaires Laure Huberty, and Netherlands’ Ambassador Alphonsus Stoelinga.

“India has joined the MTCR this morning…India’s entry into the regime as its thirty-fifth member would be mutually beneficial in the furtherance of international non-proliferation objectives,” the Ministry of External Affairs said, in a statement.

The achievement comes just a couple of days after India’s bid to get membership of Nuclear Suppliers Group failed.

The country said its entry into the group would be beneficial to enhance global non-proliferation norms.

MTCR aims to restrict the proliferation of missiles, unmanned air vehicles, complete rocket systems, and related technology for those systems intended for the delivery of weapons of mass destruction or which can carry a 500 kg payload for at least 300 kilometers. For the past few years, India was trying hard to get entry into export control regimes such as MTCR, NSG, the Australia Group and the Wassenaar Arrangement that regulate nuclear, conventional, chemical and biological weapons and technologies.

This is the first time that India has got entry into any multilateral export control regime. Significantly, China which strongly opposed India’s entry into NSG last week, is not yet a member of MCTR.

India thanked all the 34 members for their support and helping India get membership of MTCR.

“India would like to thank each of the thirty-four MTCR Partners for their support for India’s membership. We would also like to thank Ambassador Pieter de Klerk of The Netherlands and Mr Robert Steinmetz of Luxembourg, co-Chairs of the MTCR,” the statement of the Ministry of External Affairs said.

“A very good development. Well done,” tweeted US ambassador Richard Verma who welcomed the development.

France has also welcomed India’s accession into MTCR.