Turkey Favours Consensus On India's NSG Membership Bid

Turkey wants a consensus on India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) and remains non-committal about supporting New Delhi's bid to join the 48-nation bloc that controls the global civil nuclear technology trade.

Turkey was among the countries whose support India failed to secure when the NSG examined the country's application in Seoul in June.

India's NGS membership bid was backed by the US administration and about 30 other countries, but China opposed it on the ground that India was not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). New Zealand, Ireland, Brazil, Switzerland and Austria were also against making an exception in India's case.

"In terms of the nuclear disarmament issue, we are going to concur with the NSG and I think the Indian government needs to convince the other countries," Turkey's Development Minister Lutfi Elvan said at a press conference in Delhi on Friday.

He said Turkey supports global nuclear disarmament.

"I believe India needs to work on this issue in order to convince the other countries. We are ready to join the consensus if it is reached," Elvan said.

The NSG will hold its next meeting in Vienna on November 11-12.

On the issue of India and Turkey signing a free trade agreement, the Turkish minister said the working group set up to look into the matter has prepared a draft report and once India ratifies it, the process can move forward.

Turkey, part of the European Union's customs union, has free trade agreements with 18 countries, including Malaysia, South Korea and Switzerland. A dozen other FTAs are being discussed.

Elvan said the annual bilateral trade of $6 billion was much below the potential for economic cooperation that exists between the two countries.

Turkey can be a gateway for Indian companies to access markets in Europe, Middle East and Africa, while Turkish companies can benefit from India's position to trade with Asian countries, the minister said.

He said Turkish and Indian companies can develop ventures in sectors such as pharmaceuticals, space, information technology and infrastructure development.

With India's plans to invest more than $1 trillion in infrastructure projects, Turkish companies can play a significant role in this area, Elvan said, adding that Turkish contracting companies have finished $325 billion worth of projects worldwide and have expertise in delivering public-private partnership (PPP) ventures.