After Gor’s ‘no media questions’ at Modi-Trump meet claim, govt calls it ‘standard protocol’
Gor suggests that Trump forgot the request and ended up taking many questions and the media interaction lasted for almost 45 minutes
In the wake of US envoy Sergio Gor’s remark that Indian officials had told their US counterparts before a meeting between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in France that their government would not prefer a press interaction, government sources on Monday (August 24), as quoted by PTI, said that such discussions on public appearances of leaders are standard protocol. PM Modi and President Trump held talks in France's Evian-les-Bains on June 17 on the margins of the G7 summit.
‘MEA’s preference for no media interaction’
The development comes days after Gor on Saturday (August 22) said at the Economic Times World Leaders Forum that the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had conveyed to the US side that it would prefer no media interaction by the leaders after the meeting.
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Elaborating further, Gor suggested that Trump had forgotten the request and ended up taking many questions as the media interaction lasted for almost 45 minutes after the meeting with PM Modi.
The report further stated that it was normal to have discussions on arrangements before public appearances of leaders.
"Discussions regarding arrangements for public appearances of leaders are normal practice ahead of any VVIP visit," it stated, quoting a source.
Gor recalls Trump’s decision
The US envoy recalled that he spoke with President 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,” Gor said as quoted by ANI.
He said Trump asked what Indian officials planned to raise. MEA had requested media access without a full press conference.
“He said, and it was, let's bring in the media, but let's not do a full press conference,” the ambassador added.
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Gor said he conveyed the preference to Trump. “I told the president, I said, the Indians prefer no questions. He said, sure, no problem,” he recalled.
The media interaction began with 50 cameras in the room. After the leaders made their opening remarks, Trump asked reporters, “Any questions?”
“And that opened everything up,” Gor said, describing it as “a 45-minute press conference” where “everything was on the table”