'Normal practice ahead of any VVIP visit': India responds to US envoy's 'no questions' remarks

India has reacted to US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor's claim that it had asked Washington to ensure there were no questions from journalists during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with US President Donald Trump.

Government sources, cited by News18, said that such discussions are "normal practice" ahead of any VVIP visit.

"Discussions regarding arrangements for public appearances of leaders are normal practice ahead of any VVIP visit. In this regard, the Indian side communicated its standard practice for such visits," sources were quoted as saying.

Gor had said India specifically asked the US to avoid questions during the interaction between Modi and Trump on the sidelines of the G7 summit in France in June. Trump initially agreed to the request but later invited questions from reporters.

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What Sergio Gor Said

Speaking at the Economic Times World Leaders Forum on Saturday, Gor recalled a conversation with Trump before the June 17 meeting in Evian-les-Bains.

Gor said Trump had asked what India would raise during the meeting and whether there were any specific requests. The ambassador said the Ministry of External Affairs had one request: to allow the media into the meeting, but not hold a full press conference.

"I told the president, I said, the Indians prefer no questions. He said, sure, no problem," Gor said.

The meeting began with journalists and cameras in the room. Gor said there were around 50 cameras as Modi and Trump delivered their opening remarks.

Trump then turned towards the reporters and asked, "Any questions?"

"And that opened everything up," Gor said.

What followed, according to the ambassador, was "a 45-minute press conference" in which “everything was on the table".

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Modi and Trump met on June 17 on the sidelines of the G7 summit in eastern France.

The meeting came days after three Indian mariners were killed in a US Navy attack on a commercial vessel in the Strait of Hormuz. The safety of Indian seafarers operating in the conflict zone was among the issues Modi raised during the interaction.