Trump lauds PM Modi at G20 Summit in Osaka, says victory in LS polls ‘fantastic tribute to your abilities’
Osaka: US President Donald Trump congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his victory in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and said he deserves it, during a bilateral meeting between the two countries on the sidelines of the G20 Summit that began in Japan’s Osaka on Friday.
The meeting that preceeded the official commencement of the Summit saw the leaders of the world’s two biggest democracies exchange warm greetings and share the bonhomie that seemed to be missing following the recent war of words over trade tariffs.
“You (PM Modi) deserve it (the victory in the general elections). You have done a great job in pulling together. I remember when you first took over, there were many factions and they were fighting with each other… Now they get along… It is a fantastic tribute to you and your abilities,” Trump lauded Modi.
Trump also said that both countries will work together “in many ways”, giving hints of a changing US-India relations in the positive direction going ahead.
“We have become great friends and our countries have never been closer… I can say that with surety. We will work together in many ways, including military… We will discussing trade,” Trump said at the joint press meet in Osaka.
Meanwhile, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said that the S-400 defence missile systems deal with Russia was not discussed between the two countries, but Iran was given significance during the bilateral talks.
“The S-400 issue wasn’t discussed. On Iran, the primary focus was on how we ensure stability there, as instability affects us in many ways, not just in the matter of energy requirements, but also in terms of our large diaspora in the Gulf, with around 8 million resident Indians in the region,” Gokhale said at a press meeting.
Gokhale also said that PM Modi and Trump have agreed on a meeting soon to try and sort issues pertaining to trade between the two countries.
