Washington, August 26: United States President Donald Trump concluded the bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi which lasted for nearly a couple of hours. The two leaders deliberated on a range of subjects, including the sensitive Kashmir issue and the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.
Following the meeting, Trump took to Twitter to inform his followers on the social media that the bilateral dialogue has concluded. The American President described the meeting as "great", and referred to Modi as "my friend" -- a phrase being popularly used for the Indian PM by his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump Backs Off From 'Kashmir Mediation' Offer, Says All India-Pakistan Issues 'Bilateral'
"Just wrapped up a great meeting with my friend Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India at the #G7Summit in Biarritz, France! (sic)," Trump posted.
See Donald Trump's Tweet Below:
Just wrapped up a great meeting with my friend Prime Minister @NarendraModi of India at the #G7Summit in Biarritz, France! pic.twitter.com/q0NOnEcjFO
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 26, 2019
During the joint press interaction, Trump apparently backed off from his "Kashmir mediation" pitch. Instead, he contended with New Delhi's claim of peace and normalcy in the Valley following the decision to strip Jammu & Kashmir of its autonomy.
"We spoke last night about Kashmir, Prime Minister (Modi) really feels he has it under control,” said Trump, adding that he is hopeful that Modi would be speaking to Pakistan soon and mutually resolve the differences.
Modi reiterated India's stand that Kashmir is a bilateral issue, stating that India and Pakistan are capable of resolving all their differences mutually, "without the need of any external interference".
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 26, 2019 06:46 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).