India has become the first south Asian country to be added to the Strategic Trade Authorization-1 (STA-1) list after the US issued a federal notification to this effect, paving the way for high-technology product sales to New Delhi, particularly in civil space and defense sectors, reports NDTV.
It is also only the third Asian country after Japan and South Korea to be given that status by the United States. Overall, India has become the 37th country to be designated the STA-1 status, which is generally given by the US to NATO allies, NDTV reported.
The federal notification, issued yesterday, gains significance as the Trump Administration made an exception for India, which is yet to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group or NSG.
Traditionally, the US has placed only those countries in the STA-1 list who are members of the four export control regimes: Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR), Wassenaar Arrangement (WA), Australia Group (AG) and the NSG.
