NEW DELHI: Govt justified its decision not to have a news conference after PM Modi’s meeting with President Donald Trump on the margins of the G7 summit in France, with official sources citing Trump’s “unpredictable behaviour” at media events that have followed his meetings with heads of state/govt, including from South Africa and Ukraine.US ambassador to India Sergio Gor had earlier created a stir with his remarks about how ministry of external affairs had called to limit media interaction to photo opportunities and opening remarks without taking questions. Despite the request from MEA, as Gor had said, Trump went on to have a 45-minute unscripted news conference at the media event. Govt sources here stressed there was no unusual demand made by the Indian side.According to Gor, while MEA wanted to bring in the media, it said, “let’s not do a full news conference”.The ambassador’s disclosure of what might have been a private discussion is learned to have upset the govt. “Discussions regarding arrangements for public appearances of leaders are normal practice ahead of any VVIP visit,” said a govt source, on condition of anonymity. “Delegations when meeting Donald Trump are wary about his unpredictable behaviour, as may be seen from his interactions with president of South Africa, Ukraine, etc. Thus, the cautious approach by India,” he added.In highlighting Trump’s previous interactions with the presidents of Ukraine and S Africa, which devolved into televised confrontations with Trump hectoring his visitors, govt sources framed India’s request as a necessary safeguard against unpredictable diplomatic settings. The standard practice for govt has been to not have unscripted joint news conferences by Modi in company of the host or visiting dignitaries.
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This practice, though, has been questioned by local journalists recently in countries like Norway, the Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand.MEA defended the arrangement, stating that standard diplomatic procedures for international visits are followed.
