US welcomes India subscribing to ballistic missile code

Washington, June 3: The US on Friday, June 3 welcomed India subscribing to the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation (HCOC), an arrangement to prevent the proliferation of ballistic missiles.

"The United States welcomes this step by India and calls on all countries who have not yet done so to subscribe to the HCOC," the State Department said in a statement.

India is the 138th country to do so. HCOC is a voluntary mechanism that has built a broad international predisposition against ballistic missile proliferation and promotes transparency and confidence building, including through the subscribing states' commitment to submit pre-launch notifications and annual declarations of their relevant policies.

"India's subscription reinforces its support for international missile nonproliferation and will help increase transparency and strengthen security," the State Department said.

PTI