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Trump forgot India's ‘no questions’ request at G7, held 45-min presser with PM Modi, claims US envoy Sergio Gor
Sergio Gor claimed that the ministry of external affairs had asked for “no questions” after the meeting between Modi and Trump.
US ambassador Sergio Gor has shared an alleged “behind-the-scenes” request by India ahead of the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.
Gor claimed that the ministry of external affairs had asked for “no questions” after the meeting between Modi and Trump, adding that the US President later forgot the request.
“As soon as they get done (with the meeting), the first thing the president does, he looks up at the camera and says, any questions? And that opened everything up,” Gor said at the Economic Times World Leaders Forum.
The Union government or the MEA is yet to officially react to this statement.
Elaborating on the alleged request, Gor said, “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 are the Indians going to raise? We went over some topics. And he said, do they have any asks? And the MEA had one ask. He said, and it was, let's bring in the media, but let's not do a full press conference.”
“I told the president, I said, the Indians prefer no questions. He said, sure, no problem. So the meeting starts, the press comes in, there must have been 50 cameras, the president is sitting here, the prime minister is sitting there, they both speak for a few minutes. As soon as they get done, the first thing the president does, he looks up at the camera and says, any questions?” Gor claimed further, adding that the remark “opened everything up”. The US ambassador said that “a 45-minute press conference” followed, and that “everything was on the table.”
PM Modi's Hormuz appeal, Trump's help offer if India ever attacked
During the meeting between Modi and Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in June, several issues were discussed, including the safety of seafarers amid ship attacks, the reopening of Strait of Hormuz, and the future of India-US trade.
PM Modi raised concerns over the safety of Indian seafarers operating in the Strait of Hormuz during the brief interaction. “Many Indian seafarers in Strait of Hormuz, their safety of utmost importance,” PM Modi told Trump.
Trump, meanwhile, said United States would “be there for India” if it is ever attacked. “If anybody attacks that man (pointing to Modi), we're gonna be there. Now, if there's a new leader, I'm not sure," Trump said.
