India will be the 35th nation to join the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) which oversees the prevention of proliferation of missile and UAV technology.
India becoming a member of MTCR is expected to pave the way for increased defence trade and technology transfer between India and the US. India has already shown keen interest in purchasing armed drones from the US.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama in their meeting on Tuesday discussed defence cooperation including the 'Make in India' initiative and sharing of military technology.
But, the process for entry into the NSG remains an independent one.
"These are reinforcing, if your credentials are good in one. China is not a member of the MTCR. Aligning ourselves into international practice on non proliferation has been a long-standing goal of our diplomacy," Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said.
According to sources, India’s main strategy is to isolate China which is playing a pivotal role in denying India’s entry into the nuclear club.
The Indo-US joint statement released soon after the meeting spoke of Obama welcoming India's application to join the NSG and re-affirmed that India is ready for the membership.
The US has also called out to other NSG participating nations to support India's application.
All eyes are on Vienna, where on June 9 India's application to the NSG will come up in a pre-plenary meeting. India, meanwhile, is trying its best to build a consensus in its favour.
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