NSG membership push to be focus of annual talks with US

NEW DELHI: India would make a strong push for greater US support in getting membership to the nuclear suppliers group (NSG) during the forthcoming strategic and

NEW DELHI: India would make a strong push for greater US support in getting membership to the nuclear suppliers group (NSG) during the forthcoming strategic and commercial dialogue which would focus among others, business ties, defence cooperation and clean energy initiatives.

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The annual strategic dialogue, which has included commerce since last year, will take place on August 30 in Delhi.

It is co-chaired by Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker from the US side and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj and minister of state for commerce and industry Nirmala Sitharaman.

India is making a strong bid for the membership to the NSG, an elite club of 48 countries that deal with trade in nuclear technology and fissile materials.

After China blocked India’s bid on the grounds of not being a signatory to the nuclear non proliferation treaty (NPT), New Delhi is making fresh attempts to enter the club before the year ends.

Sources said India’s NSG bid is closely linked to its push for clean energy sources, an area where India-US cooperation is getting stronger. The US is also nudging India to ratify the ambitious 2015 Paris climate pact.