India confident of getting into Nuclear Suppliers Group this year: Sushma Swaraj

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Sunday expressed confidence that India will get membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and also said that India won’t oppose Pakistan’s or any other countries membership in the NSG, but underlined the final decision should be decided on merits. Swaraj made these statements at a media conference arranged to speak about the initiatives and achievements of the external affairs ministry. At the event, the ministry also released booklets which highlighted the MEA’s work in the past two years. “It is not correct to say that in the bid to secure membership in NSG, we have disregarded Saarc. We are trying to ensure that India can become an NSG member this year,” Swaraj said. The External Affairs Minister also said that New Delhi will pursue with its consensus approach on the issue and even try to win over China’s support. [caption id=“attachment_2843782” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. CNN News18[/caption] “Hum China ko bhi mananey mein kamyabi hasil kar lenge (We will succeed in convincing China too),” she told the media. In fact, MEA sources said that the announcement on NSG membership will come after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping’s meeting in Tashkent on 23 June, reported CNN-News 18. The External Affairs Minister’s comments assume particular significance especially after Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar made a pit stop at Beijing on 16-17 June to enlist support for India’s bid for membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) which is being opposed by China. China has been strongly opposing India’s membership at the premier club, arguing that it was not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). However, Swaraj clarified on Sunday that China is not opposed, but wants procedural changes. Stating that China is talking only about the criteria and procedures to be adopted for membership of the elite 48-nation atomic trading bloc, Swaraj said India was hopeful that it will be able to convince China to give its backing. The NSG works under the principle of unanimity and even one country’s vote against India can scuttle its bid. Sh added that the NSG entry is crucial for India’s energy policy. “I’m myself in contact with 23 nations, 1 or 2 raised concern but think consensus is there,” she said. Talking on Indo-Pak relations, Swaraj said: “India-Pakistan relations are “jatil” (complicated) and talks and terrorism cannot go together.” But she told the media that there was “sehejta” (simplicity) in the chemistry involving Prime Ministers Narendra Modi of India and Nawaz Sharif of Pakistan. “This warmth and simplicity in relations between two Prime Ministers were never there in the past,” she said. While pursuing with the commitment for friendship, the government won’t compromise on issues of national security. India, she said, remained firm in its resolve that talks and terrorism cannot go together. “We are awaiting solid action from Pakistan’s side on Pathankot attack. Pakistan has not rejected the proposal for NIA visit, has sought some time to conduct proper probe from their end,” she said. Defending the Narendra Modi government’s global outreach-driven foreign policy and said there are many benefits of such endeavours. The minister, however, denied that South Asia was not getting adequate priority in the Modi government’s foreign policy. “Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) does not come sitting at home,” Sushma Swaraj said, in an apparent dig at critics who have often Prime Minister Modi’s frequent overseas travels. “Aaj jab Bharat bolta hai, duniya sunti hai (Today when India speaks, the world listens),” she told the media here. “India has always maintained that we want peaceful settlement on sea related issues.” 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 Rs 369,000 crore has come through the FDI route in the last two years. It is about a 43 per cent jump over what it was during the UPA rule.” Swaraj 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. On the issue of threats to Hindus in Bangladesh, she said the Sheikh Hasina govermment had been taking adequate steps and had so far arrested as many as 3,000 suspects. “More than that, I feel happy to say that even Islamic leaders in Bangladesh have condemned such threats to Hindus in that country,” she said.

On extradition of Vijay Mallya, who has been declared a proclaimed offender in a money laundering case, Swaraj said: “Our team has suggested few changes in the extradition request sent to us by the Enforcement Directorate, once we receive the revised application, we will forward the request to UK.”

However, on Lalit Modi’s extradition request, the External Affairs Minister denied having received any request from the ED.

Commenting on Mallya’s presence at the book launch event in London which was also attended by the Indian High Commissioner, Swaraj said: “Mallya did not get formal invitation from London School of Economics or from High Commissioner. Don’t know why the issue is being raked up, as everyone knows that the moment High Commissioner saw Mallya in audience he walked off.”

Congress on Saturday once again reiterated that the Narendra Modi government is not serious about getting Mallya back to India. “It is not surprising. This government is actually trying to go through the motions of a smoke-screen. They are not serious in getting him (Mallya) back. The Indian High Commissioner in England understands that and therefore he does not see a problem in attending that event,” Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari had said. The High Commissioner “understands the policy of the government which is actually you create a smoke screen of activity. They are not serious of getting him,” said Tewari.

“Indian High Commissioner was not at fault. If Suhel Seth invites someone then High Commissioner has nothing to do with it,” Swaraj said on Sunday.

On Indians being killed in Iraq, Swaraj clarified that there is no confirmation or proof on them being killed. “It will be injustice on my part to say they are dead. In fact, we have been informed that they are alive and we are trying for their early release,” she added.

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 With inputs from agencies