TECHINT Türkiye’s role in Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program

[Bogeyman]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2084267691582382124

While researching Türkiye’s role in Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program, I came across this document in the archives. It is one of dozens of US demarches sent to the Turkish government in the late 1970s and 1980s protesting shipments of electrical components from Turkish firms to Pakistan. Ankara’s response was that its export control laws were too weak to allow the government to block such trade.

Türkiye eventually adopted stronger export control legislation but enforcement remained lax. At the time, the US government avoided publicly acknowledging Türkiye’s role because doing so would have triggered a legal requirement to cut off military assistance to a key NATO ally. Interesting stuff

https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/sites/default/files/documents/rck7oc-n2sul/12.pdf

 

[Nilgiri]

Somewhat even more surprising is same file has INT trace of Chinese supply to India of heavy water (when all western/advanced economies shut supply all down when NSG was formed from NPT).

A "Chinese role in Indian NWP" if you will (using equivalent of the thread title)...since PRC govt. would have fully known there is no commercial role in India for heavy water at that point. It could only be used in CANDU-derived reactors for weapon grade plutonium production.

Some later sources say about 150 tons of heavy water was supplied by PRC to India in the early 1980s

It is not all together surprising as Deng administration was looking for detente breakthrough with India already in the late 1970s in post-Mao era.

i.e 1976 restoration of ambassadors, 1979 visit by Indian FM to PRC etc.

@Passenger

 

[Nilgiri]

I think Indian own heavy water production gained adequate capacity in the 1990s...and India started exporting heavy water as well from then on to various countries (including China....but especially to South Korea, US and some western countries too)