India had preferred against holding a media interaction following Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with US President Donald Trump in France in June, citing concerns over what government sources described as the US president's "unpredictable behaviour", news agency PTI reported on Monday, quoting government sources.
The clarification came after US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor said that New Delhi had informed the American side before the meeting that it did not want a joint press briefing.
According to the Indian government sources cited by PTI, discussions over arrangements for leaders' public appearances are routine diplomatic practice.
Modi and Trump held bilateral talks on June 17 in Evian-les-Bains on the sidelines of the G7 summit. The meeting was seen as an effort to repair ties between India and the US, which had come under strain over the preceding year.
The latest exchange comes amid uncertainty over the India-US bilateral trade deal, which has remained under discussion.
Speaking at an event in Delhi last week, Gor recalled the events surrounding the Modi-Trump meeting in the French resort town.
According to Gor, Trump had asked him before the meeting what issues the Indian side was likely to raise and whether it had any specific requests.
Gor said he told Trump that the Ministry of External Affairs had one request: the Indian side preferred that there be no questions from the media.
"He (Trump) said: 'sure, no problem'," Gor said.
However, Gor said Trump subsequently invited questions from journalists after the meeting, leading to a media interaction that lasted nearly 45 minutes.
The US envoy said around 50 cameras were present when Modi and Trump briefly addressed the media after their meeting. Trump then looked towards the cameras and asked, "Any questions?", according to Gor.
Gor said the interaction subsequently covered a range of issues.
Reacting to the US envoy's remarks, an Indian government source told PTI that foreign delegations meeting Trump are cautious about his "unpredictable behaviour", citing his interactions with the presidents of South Africa and Ukraine as examples.
"Thus, the cautious approach by India," the source said.
Another government source told PTI that discussions over arrangements for public appearances are normal ahead of meetings involving senior leaders.
"Discussions regarding arrangements for public appearances of leaders are normal practice ahead of any VVIP visit," the source said.
"In this regard, the Indian side communicated its standard practice for such visits," the source added.
(With inputs from PTI)
