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Russia has assured India that new international restrictions on the transfer of sensitive nuclear technologies will not affect the clean waiver India was granted in 2008.
The official spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry said the new guidelines adopted by the Nuclear Suppliers Group last month to ban the sale of enrichment and reprocessing (ENR) technology to NPT non-signatories will not apply to India.
"The decision to strengthen 'sensitive' nuclear export controls adopted at an NSG plenary session in 2011 does not affect in any way the September 2008 decision of the Group to unfreeze peaceful nuclear cooperation with India," spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement posted on the Foreign Ministry website late on Thursday.
It is for the first time that Moscow has clearly stated its position on the new NSG guidelines. The statement was issued the same day Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov returned from Washington where he had wide-ranging talks with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and was received by President Barack Obama. The talks also covered issues of nuclear non-proliferation.
Immediately after the June 20-24 NSG meeting in Noordwijk, Holland, Moscow was entirely evasive on whether India was exempted from the new ENR restrictions.
Meanwhile, India’s Ambassador to Russia Ajai Malhotra said Russia had just restated its earlier commitment to full-scale nuclear cooperation with India.
Mr. Malhotra told The Hindu that the Russian Foreign Ministry statement "reiterated Russia’s well-known support for India’s NSG membership and the 'clean exemption' given to India by the NSG in September 2008."
"It also reaffirms that Russia will effectively implement our bilateral agreements in this sphere. We appreciate it,” the Indian Ambassador said.
In its new statement Moscow reiterated its commitment to the March 2010 bilateral accord with India on unrestricted peaceful nuclear cooperation, which called for a separate agreement on ENR transfer, and the December 2010 joint statement by the leaders of the two countries.
“We are ready to continue their effective implementation,” Mr. Lukashevich said.
He recalled that Russia has been consistently working to ensure India’s membership in the 45-member NSG.
"We have repeatedly raised the issue of establishing regular contacts between the NSG and India and create a mechanism to allow New Delhi to participate in the development of export control norms in the nuclear field," Mr. Lukashevich said.
"In Noordwijk, we reaffirmed our strong commitment and willingness to ensure full participation of India in NSG," he said.
Russia views nuclear cooperation with India as a "pivotal element in bilateral strategic partnership," the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.
The official spokesman of the Russian Foreign Ministry said the new guidelines adopted by the Nuclear Suppliers Group last month to ban the sale of enrichment and reprocessing (ENR) technology to NPT non-signatories will not apply to India.
"The decision to strengthen 'sensitive' nuclear export controls adopted at an NSG plenary session in 2011 does not affect in any way the September 2008 decision of the Group to unfreeze peaceful nuclear cooperation with India," spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said in a statement posted on the Foreign Ministry website late on Thursday.
It is for the first time that Moscow has clearly stated its position on the new NSG guidelines. The statement was issued the same day Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov returned from Washington where he had wide-ranging talks with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and was received by President Barack Obama. The talks also covered issues of nuclear non-proliferation.
Immediately after the June 20-24 NSG meeting in Noordwijk, Holland, Moscow was entirely evasive on whether India was exempted from the new ENR restrictions.
Meanwhile, India’s Ambassador to Russia Ajai Malhotra said Russia had just restated its earlier commitment to full-scale nuclear cooperation with India.
Mr. Malhotra told The Hindu that the Russian Foreign Ministry statement "reiterated Russia’s well-known support for India’s NSG membership and the 'clean exemption' given to India by the NSG in September 2008."
"It also reaffirms that Russia will effectively implement our bilateral agreements in this sphere. We appreciate it,” the Indian Ambassador said.
In its new statement Moscow reiterated its commitment to the March 2010 bilateral accord with India on unrestricted peaceful nuclear cooperation, which called for a separate agreement on ENR transfer, and the December 2010 joint statement by the leaders of the two countries.
“We are ready to continue their effective implementation,” Mr. Lukashevich said.
He recalled that Russia has been consistently working to ensure India’s membership in the 45-member NSG.
"We have repeatedly raised the issue of establishing regular contacts between the NSG and India and create a mechanism to allow New Delhi to participate in the development of export control norms in the nuclear field," Mr. Lukashevich said.
"In Noordwijk, we reaffirmed our strong commitment and willingness to ensure full participation of India in NSG," he said.
Russia views nuclear cooperation with India as a "pivotal element in bilateral strategic partnership," the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.