New Delhi– There was no mention of Kashmir in the discussions between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their meeting in Osaka, Japan, on the sidelines of the G-20, according to a White House readout of the talks presented by Ivanka Trump on June 28.
Briefing the media after the India-US-Japan trilateral and the Modi-Trump bilateral in Osaka, Ivanka Trump clearly says the discussions centered around 5G technology and its security implications, Iran and trade relations.
According to Ivanka, who accompanied her father to the G20, the discussions between Trump, Modi and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were centered on “5G technology, with focus on its security implications”.
“It (the trilateral) was a really important meeting, and lays the foundation for a subsequent productive conversation, a one-on-one between the President and Prime Minister Modi, where the same issues were covered. Of course, 5G and the trade relationship between the US and India, a critical trading partner, and critical security partner and a critical ally. So it was a productive discussion, everything from Iran to national security was covered by the President and the US delegation with their Indian counterparts and it’s been a productive morning to say the least,” Ivanka said of the meeting.
President Trump caused a diplomatic upheaval with his claim that Prime Minister Modi had during their bilateral meeting in Osaka suggested that the US mediate in the Kashmir issue. India has rejected Trump’s statement, made in Washington on Monday during a media interaction with visiting Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar denied categorically in Parliament that Modi ever made such a request to the US President.
Asked by a reporter on Monday at the White House if the US would intervene in Kashmir, Trump said: “So I was with — I was with Prime Minister Modi two weeks ago, and we talked about this subject. And he actually said, ‘Would you like to be a mediator or arbitrator?’ I said, ‘Where?’ He said, ‘Kashmir.’ Because this has been going on for many, many years. I was surprised at how long; it’s been going on a long time.
“I think they (India) would like to see it resolved, and I think you (Pakistan) would like to see it resolved. And if I can help, I would love to be mediator,” Trump said.
According to the readout of the meeting by Ivanka, there was no mention of Kashmir discussed by the two leaders. (IANS)
