Didn’t get expected result at NSG, but it’s not diplomacy failure: MEA

“Today, the Indian diplomacy doesn’t have fear of failure. If we don’t get desired results it only means that we redouble our efforts,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Vikas Swarup said. “There are some processes which take longer, I would evaluate the NSG membership process in that category,” he added.

The Congress had called the result an “embarrassment” to the country and a “huge diplomatic letdown” by the Modi government and questioned the “desperation” to gain membership of the elite nuclear club.

“Some countries did raise procedure-related issues but not a single country apart from that one country opposed India’s membership of NSG,” the MEA spokesperson said in an obvious reference to China , reasserting the claim regarding the procedural hurdles at NSG.

According to Indian officials, thirty-eight countries out of forty-eight had supported India at the NSG plenary which concluded in Seoul on Friday.

The NSG, whose membership India failed to get two days back, is likely to meet again before this year ends , to specially discuss the process for allowing non-NPT signatories into the 48-nation grouping, thus providing another chance for India to press its claims.

Asserting that India has already implemented all Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) provisions, Swarup said that India’s position on the NPT is very well known. NSG is concerned with the implementation of NPT, and as far as India is concerned, it has already met the criteria and has all the credentials to be part of the grouping, Swarup added.

India is not a signatory to the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and that was the ground used to thwart India’s bid. He added that regarding NSG membership, India’s case can’t be equated with that of Pakistan. He said that the global community knows the track record of both India and Pakistan in so far as Nuclear non-proliferation is concerned.

A panel for informal consultations on India’s membership has been set up by the NSG and it will be headed by Argentine Ambassador Rafael Grossi.