Give an account of
a. Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR)
b. Wassenaar Arrangement
c. Australia Group
Discuss the significance for India in being a member of the above groupings.
Refer – The Indian Express
Enrich the answer from other sources, if the question demands.
IAS Parliament 6 years
KEY POINTS
MTCR
· MTCR is an informal political understanding among states that seek to limit the proliferation of missiles and missile technology.
· India was admitted in 2016. China is not a member.
· It encourages members not to export missiles delivering any weapon of mass destruction.
· MTCR is a voluntary regime, places no legal obligations on its members, and has no enforcement mechanism.
Significance
· It burnishes India’s image as a non-proliferator, thereby making it easier for other missile-making countries to export to India.
· India is the only one of the four unrecognised nuclear powers (the others are Pakistan, Israel and North Korea) that is a member of MTCR.
The Australia Group
· The Australia Group (AG) is an informal forum of countries which, through the harmonisation of export controls, seeks to ensure that exports do not contribute to the development of chemical or biological weapons.
· The principal objective of AG members is to use licensing measures to restrict exports of certain chemicals, biological agents, and dual-use chemical and biological manufacturing facilities and equipment that could contribute to the proliferation of CBWs.
· India was admitted as a participant this year. China is not a member of the AG.
· The obligations are not legally binding.
Significance
· Membership would help strengthen supply chain security in the dynamic industry fields of biotechnology and chemicals, along with meeting non-proliferation objectives.
· Place in AG will strengthen the case for NSG membership.
Wassenaar Arrangement
· It aims to promote transparency and greater responsibility in transfers of conventional arms and dual-use goods and technologies.
· So, there are no destabilising accumulations and terrorists do not acquire them.
· India was admitted as a participating state in 2017.
· Members
a) must be producers/exporters of arms/sensitive industrial equipment;
b) have national polices for non-proliferation and an effective export control regime;
c) must adhere to global non-proliferation compacts including the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Biological Weapons Convention, Chemical Weapons Convention.
Significance
· India’s admittance despite being a non-signatory of the NPT has been seen as a sign of its growing nuclear legitimacy.
· Membership of the WA is, along with membership of MTCR and Australia Group, three-fourths of the way into the membership of the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group.
