New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States President Donald Trump, who discussed several key issues with each other at the G20 meeting in Japan, were seated beside each other at an informal dinner in Osaka later on Friday.
Photographs tweeted by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) showed the two leaders in conversation and exchanging a laugh. Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, Russian President Vladimir Putin and German Chancellor Angela Merkel were seen sitting on Trump’s left.
PM @narendramodi and other #G20 leaders at the dinner in Osaka this evening. pic.twitter.com/5m5Y3ADJjf— PMO India (@PMOIndia) June 28, 2019
The photographs pointed to a growing bonhomie between Modi and Trump reflected in comfortable body language, a day after the latter tweeted a warning about a recent increase in Indian tariffs against the US.
A meeting earlier on Friday indicated a thaw in the ties between the two countries that have been warring over trade and rising energy concerns. Apart from a keen discussion on issues plaguing both sides, experts opined there was a marked shift in Trump’s tone and tenor compared to his tweets from just a day before the Japan-America-India trilateral and the bilateral talks with Modi.
In his meeting with Trump, Modi voiced India's concern over energy security and peace in the strategic Persian Gulf region as he discussed the raging US-Iran tensions.
The Modi-Trump meeting here on the sidelines of the G20 Summit came at a time of heightened tensions between Iran and the US, which has accused Tehran of being behind a series of operations against oil tankers in highly sensitive Gulf waters. Last week, the Pentagon said that Iranian forces had shot down a US surveillance drone.
Briefing the media on the Modi-Trump talks, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale said the primary focus was on how to ensure stability in the Persian Gulf region.
Modi also tweeted photograph with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jimping and said, "Friendly nations, futuristic outcomes. The RIC (Russia-India-China) meeting was an excellent forum to discuss ways to enhance multilateral cooperation between our nations and work to mitigate challenges being faced by our planet, most notably terrorism and climate change."
Friendly nations, futuristic outcomes. The RIC (Russia-India-China) meeting was an excellent forum to discuss ways to enhance multilateral cooperation between our nations and work to mitigate challenges being faced by our planet, most notably terrorism and climate change. pic.twitter.com/LTljcPCTDW— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 28, 2019
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