Tharoor expresses happiness over PM Modi-Trump meet, says big concerns addressed

Bengaluru, Feb 14 (IANS) Expressing happiness over the meeting of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump, Congress MP and author Shashi Tharoor said on Friday that it looks like big concerns are addressed.

“The commitment to sell us F35 stealth aircraft is very valued,” he underlined.

Talking to media in Bengaluru, on the sidelines of the Global Investors’ Meet (GIM), Shashi Tharoor stated, “On the defence front, the commitment to sell us F35 stealth aircraft is very valued. That’s the state-of-the-art aircraft and certainly, we already had the Rafael, now with the F35, the Indian Air Force would be in very good shape.”

“If you look at the main issues, we have heard about so far, I am very encouraged and I look forward to more details when the Prime Minister and his team are back and expect a briefing from the MEA in the standing committee,” he said.

Tharoor further stated, “The press statements by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump are encouraging. It looks like some of the big concerns we have had been addressed for example on the question of trade and tariffs they have decided to sit down and hold serious negotiations that would conclude by the fall which is September and October of this year. I think that’s a very good outcome because the fear was there might be some hasty decisions made in Washington which would affect our exports.”

“This way there is time to negotiate and I welcome that. Secondly, on the illegal immigration issue, the only thing missing there on what Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, was the question of manner of those persons were treated and sent back.”

“Otherwise his stand was absolutely correct. These are misled youths who had been encouraged or induced to migrate illegally and they should be taken back. They are Indian citizens and they belong in the country and we take them back,” he noted.

“But, I hope something there was said behind closed doors not perhaps in the press conference inside privately this manner of doing it, the handcuffs, mistreats, insults, the military aircraft should be avoided in future. And I am sure that if the Prime Minister has done that the American would want to listen,” he said.

Tharoor stated, “I am looking forward to very constructive discussion because to me as if we have got pretty much all that we could have expected this time except for what I said an assurance on the way in which our migrants are being sent back.”

He stated, “Donald Trump calling Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a better negotiator than himself is astonishing because, Mr Trump takes pride in being the art of the deal is his strings and his admirers including yesterday, the defence secretary of the US had said that Mr Trump is the greatest negotiator in the world. Now, Trump says, Mr Modi is a better negotiator than him. I think we are looking at a high degree of praise from a man who is not known for saying praiseworthy things. So this is good news.”

–IANS

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