On October 13, at the Gaza peace summit held in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, U.S. President Donald Trump during his speech publicly praised Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him a “very good friend.” His remarks came when Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stood behind him.
Trump said, “India is a great country with a very good friend of mine at the top. And he has done a fantastic job.” Trump added, “I think that Pakistan and India are going to live very nicely together,” and asked Sharif, “Right?” while looking toward him. Sharif responded with a smile and nodded.
Trump’s remark came just days after Prime Minister Modi spoke with the U.S. President on a phone call and congratulated him on the success of the “historic Gaza peace plan.” However, Trump's sudden praise of Modi directly in front of Pakistan’s leader left Sharif in an awkward position during the summit.
Soon after Trump's speech Sharif credited Trump with helping to stop a war between India and Pakistan. He said “Had it not been for this gentleman, who knows India and Pakistan are both nuclear powers, had he not intervened with his wonderful team during those four days, the war could have escalated to a level where no one would have lived to tell what happened.” He also praised Trump as a strong candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize.
At the Gaza peace summit India was represented by Minister of State Kirti Vardhan Singh, who attended on behalf of Prime Minister Modi. While Modi did not attend in person, Trump’s praise served to highlight their relationship publicly.
In a X post , MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “India welcomes the signing of the landmark peace agreement and hopes this will lead to lasting peace in the region”.
Earlier in a post on X PM Modi praised trump for peace efforts. PM Modi said “We welcome the release of all hostages after over two years of captivity. Their freedom stands as a tribute to the courage of their families, the unwavering peace efforts of President Trump and the strong resolve of Prime Minister Netanyahu. We support President Trump’s sincere efforts to bring peace to the region”.
(Rh/SG/NS)
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