The Financial Express (Delhi Edition)
Sushma: China not opposing India’s NSG membership
Sushma says India confident of becoming a member this year
THE government on Sunday said China was not opposed to India’s membership to the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), reports fe Bureau in New Delhi. Responding to media queries, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj also said India was hopeful of becoming a member of the elite 48-nation club, which will meet in Seoul next week.
THE government on Sunday said it is confident of becoming a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) by the end of this year. The 48-nation elite club will be meeting in Seoul, South Korea next week.
Responding to media queries at her annual press conference, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said, “China is not opposing India's NSG membership bid but is talking only about the criteria and procedures to be adopted for membership.”
She said India was hopeful China would back India at the NSG meeting. The statement comes in the backdrop of foreign secretary’s unannounced visit to Beijing on June 16-17, which is seen as an attempt to seek Chinese support.
While asserting India is not going to oppose entry of any nation to the NSG, the minister expressed hope that by the end of this year, India will become a member of the 48-nation club dedicated to curbing nuclear arms proliferation by controlling the export and re-transfer of materials that could foster nuclear weapons development.
“We have been engaged with the NSG for the past 12 years and there have been talks of our membership with the group for the last five years. But the situation is different this year. Our argument is that we got the
New Delhi, June 19: India has not yet approached the UK for extradition of liquor baron Vijay Mallya and former IPL boss Lalit Modi, wanted by Indian investigators in multiple cases, external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj said on Sunday, as the ED is still to provide required documents to her ministry. Swaraj said that in the case of Mallya the Enforcement Directorate(ED) had sent her Ministry the extradition request but certain changes were suggested and the probe agency was yet to respond. With regard to Lalit Modi's case, she said the ED has not sent the required documents. “When we get requests for extradition in both the cases, we will send them (to the UK),” Swaraj told a press conference. She said the previous UPA government had only sought deportation procedings against Modi and it was only NDA government which was seeking his extradition. waiver in 2008 and before that the criteria and the process was decided and based on that criteria only we got the waiver. I think instead of talking about criteria with respect to our bid, our credentials and our track record should be discussed,” she added.
Highlighting the achievements of her ministry under Modi-led government in last two years, Swaraj discussed India’s relationship with the US, Pakistan and other Saarc countries the exter nal PTI affairs minister said that government’s global outreach-driven foreign policy has had many benefits.
In an hour-long press conference, responding to medi questions in Hindi, Swaraj said that “Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) does not come sitting at home.” “Aaj jab Bharat bolta hai, duniya sunti hai (Today when India speaks, the world listens).”
The minister said since the Modi government took charge in May 2014, there had been a substantial FDI inflow. As much as $55 billion or R369,000 crore has come through the FDI route in the last two years. It is about a 43 % jump over what it was during the UPA rule.”
In her opening remarks she said the foreign outreach had helped India enlist assistance of global players like the US, France, Germany and England in flagship schemes like 'Smart Cities'.
“With Australia alone, we had 13 agreements on skill development,” she said, adding there had been cooperation with countries such as Germany and Japan for 'Namami Ganga' programme.
“There are 65 countries remaining to be reached out to with personal visits, which we will complete by December 2016,” the minister said.
According to her, the government has decided to reach out to all countries in the world with help of state governments and cabinet ministers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a matter of 10 months successfully covered UAE, Saudi Arab, Iran and Qatar for better economic ties, she said.
In the past two years, “We visited all Saarc nations, we also had high-level contacts with Africa, Gulf, the Arab league among others, at the highest level.
Referring to India's relation with the US, she said, “Our engagement with US has increased but not on the cost of nation's interest. We also stage protest against them as and when required.”