India joins global code against ballistic missile proliferation

India has joined the Hague Code of Conduct (HCoC) Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation, the government announced on Thursday.

"India has joined the Hague Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation by notifying the HCoC central contact in Vienna through diplomatic channels," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said in his weekly media briefing here.

"The HCoC is a voluntary, legally non-binding international confidence building and transparency measure that seeks to prevent the proliferation of ballistic missiles that are capable of delivering weapons of mass destruction," he said.

"India's joining the code signals our readiness to further strengthen global non-proliferation objectives."

The HCoC was formally brought into effect on November 25, 2002, at a launching conference hosted by the Netherlands in The Hague.

It was earlier known as the International Code of Conduct Against Ballistic Missile Proliferation.

--IANS

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