DHAKA: US President Barack Obama has backed India’s entry into the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCG) and Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

India’s entry into these groups will give it easier access to technology for research and advancement, reports the BBC.

President Obama made the statement at a meeting with India Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington.

The two leaders also signed agreements to boost co-operation in trade, military ties and climate change.

Modi and Obama also signed an agreement to enable US-based Westinghouse Electric Co to start building six reactors in India.

The US and India will ‘remain invested in each other’s prosperity’, they said.

There was no immediate Pakistani reaction to Obama’s expression of support for India joining the Nuclear Suppliers Group.

But hours before the White House meeting, Pakistan’s military and civilian leaders held urgent talks and said they noted ‘ongoing regional developments and inimical designs against our stability and prosperity’.

Pakistan, India’s arch-rival, also wants to join the NSG, with the backing of its ally China, but fears India’s entry will block its chances.

It has watched India’s improving relations with its other neighbors with growing unease.

Iran’s Chabahar port, which is being developed in collaboration with India and Afghanistan, is seen as a security threat in Pakistan.

The port will end India’s quest for overland access to the Middle East and Central Asia, something Pakistan has successfully blocked since independence.

Tuesday’s meeting was Modi’s seventh with Obama since becoming prime minister in 2014.

BDST: 2112 HRS, JUN 08, 2016
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