US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor has revealed an alleged “behind-the-scenes” request from India ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with US President Donald Trump, claiming the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had preferred that the interaction with the media involve no questions.
Speaking at the Economic Times World Leaders Forum, Gor said Trump had initially agreed to the request but later appeared to forget it and unexpectedly invited questions from the media after his meeting with Modi.
Gor said he and Trump had discussed the issues India was likely to raise before the meeting. According to the ambassador, Trump asked whether the Indian side had any specific requests, following which Gor said the MEA wanted the media brought in but did not want a full-fledged press conference.
'Indias Prefers No Questions'
“I told the president, I said, the Indians prefer no questions. He said, sure, no problem,” Gor claimed.
However, after Modi and Trump made their opening remarks, Trump reportedly looked towards the cameras and asked, “Any questions?” Gor said the move “opened everything up”, eventually leading to a 45-minute press conference where several issues were discussed.
The Union government and the MEA have not officially responded to Gor’s remarks so far.
Modi-Trump Meeting: Hormuz, Trade And Security
The Modi-Trump interaction took place on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in June. The two leaders discussed several issues, including the safety of Indian seafarers amid attacks on ships, the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz and India-US trade.
Modi raised concerns over the safety of Indian sailors operating in the Strait of Hormuz, telling Trump that their security was of “utmost importance”.
Trump, meanwhile, said the US would support India if the country were ever attacked. Pointing towards Modi, Trump said the US would “be there for India” if anyone attacked him.
