'Premature to meet Trump now': Ex-foreign secretary backs decision to send MoS to Gaza summit
Kanwal Sibal said India's decision to send Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh instead of the Prime Minister was the correct one under the circumstances.
- Oct 14, 2025,
- Updated Oct 14, 2025 1:28 PM IST
Former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal has defended Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision not to attend the Gaza peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, saying that a meeting with US President Donald Trump at this stage would have been premature given the unresolved tariff dispute between the two countries.
Sibal said India's decision to send Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh instead of the Prime Minister was the correct one under the circumstances. "The Gaza peace summit is a good first step but with many very contentious steps remaining the outlook for lasting peace is fraught. The Israel-Palestine issue is far from being resolved. Beyond that the related Israel-Lebanon/Syria/Iran issues need resolution for any durable peace in West Asia," he said in a post on X.
The former foreign secretary added that the reconstruction plans being discussed at the summit were "very controversial" and involved "questionable real estate western business interests." "The tariff issue with India has to be resolved before a Modi-Trump meeting is held. Modi going to Gaza would have perforce involved a meeting with Trump prematurely. The decision to send MoS is the right one at this juncture," he said.
Sibal's remarks came after Congress leader Shashi Tharoor questioned the government's choice to be represented at the ministerial level while several heads of state were present in Egypt. "India's presence at the Sharm el-Sheikh Gaza peace summit, at the level of a Minister of State, stands in stark contrast to the heads of state gathered there. Strategic restraint or missed opportunity?" Tharoor had said, adding that India's "voice at the Summit on issues of reconstruction and regional stability may carry less weight than it could have."
The Sharm el-Sheikh summit, co-chaired by President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, was attended by nearly 25 heads of state or government, including the emir of Qatar and the kings of Bahrain and Jordan.
Geostrategist Brahma Chellaney also said India was right to limit its representation. "Since the summit was essentially staged to let Trump take a victory lap while sidestepping core questions about Gaza's future and the rights of the Palestinian people, India was right to limit its representation to a deputy foreign minister," Chellaney said.
It was also speculated that Modi skipped the summit as Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was among the invitees.
Former Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal has defended Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision not to attend the Gaza peace summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, saying that a meeting with US President Donald Trump at this stage would have been premature given the unresolved tariff dispute between the two countries.
Sibal said India's decision to send Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh instead of the Prime Minister was the correct one under the circumstances. "The Gaza peace summit is a good first step but with many very contentious steps remaining the outlook for lasting peace is fraught. The Israel-Palestine issue is far from being resolved. Beyond that the related Israel-Lebanon/Syria/Iran issues need resolution for any durable peace in West Asia," he said in a post on X.
The former foreign secretary added that the reconstruction plans being discussed at the summit were "very controversial" and involved "questionable real estate western business interests." "The tariff issue with India has to be resolved before a Modi-Trump meeting is held. Modi going to Gaza would have perforce involved a meeting with Trump prematurely. The decision to send MoS is the right one at this juncture," he said.
Sibal's remarks came after Congress leader Shashi Tharoor questioned the government's choice to be represented at the ministerial level while several heads of state were present in Egypt. "India's presence at the Sharm el-Sheikh Gaza peace summit, at the level of a Minister of State, stands in stark contrast to the heads of state gathered there. Strategic restraint or missed opportunity?" Tharoor had said, adding that India's "voice at the Summit on issues of reconstruction and regional stability may carry less weight than it could have."
The Sharm el-Sheikh summit, co-chaired by President Donald Trump and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, was attended by nearly 25 heads of state or government, including the emir of Qatar and the kings of Bahrain and Jordan.
Geostrategist Brahma Chellaney also said India was right to limit its representation. "Since the summit was essentially staged to let Trump take a victory lap while sidestepping core questions about Gaza's future and the rights of the Palestinian people, India was right to limit its representation to a deputy foreign minister," Chellaney said.
It was also speculated that Modi skipped the summit as Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was among the invitees.