India clarifies 'no questions' request for Modi-Trump meet was routine protocol
The Indian government on Monday said that discussions over arrangements for a leader’s public appearance are a “normal practice” ahead of any VVIP visit. The clarification came in response to remarks made by US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor about the bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in June.
Government sources told ANI that the Indian side had communicated its standard practice for such visits, adding that such discussions are routine before any high-profile engagement.
Gor had spoken at the Economic Times World Leaders Forum on Saturday, stating that India had specifically requested the US administration not to take questions from the media after the bilateral interaction on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France. According to Gor, President Trump initially agreed to the request but later opened the floor to reporters, turning the session into a 45-minute press conference.
Recalling the sequence of events, Gor described a brief conversation with Trump before the meeting with PM Modi. “We were behind the scenes, behind the stage, and at one point it was just the president and I, and he asked me, he goes, ‘What the Indians are going to raise?’ We went over some topics,” Gor recounted. He added that Trump asked if the Indian side had any requests, and the Ministry of External Affairs had one. “Let’s bring in the media, but let’s not do a full press conference,” the ambassador said, quoting the request.
Gor said he directly conveyed the Indian preference to Trump: “I told the president, I said, the Indians prefer no questions. He said, 'Sure, no problem'.”
The interaction began with media personnel and technical crews present, with around 50 cameras set up as the two leaders delivered their opening statements. However, immediately after the statements, Trump turned to reporters and asked, “Any questions?” That opened the floor to a wide-ranging 45-minute press conference, according to Gor.
The bilateral meeting on June 17 took place days after three Indian mariners were killed in an attack by the US Navy on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. The safety of Indian seafarers in the region was among the key issues raised by PM Modi.
The June meeting was significant as New Delhi and Washington worked towards finalising a bilateral trade agreement, amid tensions in West Asia that affected maritime shipping and global energy supplies. Trump noted during the interaction that the two nations were “very close” to concluding a trade deal.
