US ambassador Sergio Gor on Monday said people who publicly use slogans such as “Death to America” should not expect to seek a US visa “without facing scrutiny”.
“The days of you tweeting ‘Death to America’ and then showing up asking for a US visa are over..India does the exact same thing. India asks all sorts of questions when you apply for a visa. Plenty of people get denied, and that is India’s right,” Gor said while attending an event by Economic Times.
His remarks came as he spoke about US visa policies and the right of countries to decide who is granted entry. Gor also said India could play a role in future US space missions, while referring to cooperation between NASA and ISRO.
“NASA just invited ISRO to join our space missions to get back to the moon. We can invite other countries but it doesn’t mean they can get there. India can actually get there,” Gor said.
‘Some things reported here are nowhere close to mark’
Gor also criticised what he described as inaccurate reporting in Indian media, saying he had initially believed the US had a bigger problem with fake news.
“I’ll be watching Indian news and I used to think we had a fake news problem back home in America. But some of the things that get reported here are just nowhere close to the mark,” he said.
The US ambassador also addressed reports and commentary surrounding President Donald Trump and a proposed 100% tariff on India.
“you will not see a single clip of President Trump pushing the 100% tariff bill on India. This is not something you have seen the White House advocating,” Gor said.
Gor claims MEA sought ‘no questions’ after Modi-Trump meeting
Gor also shared what he described as a behind-the-scenes account of preparations for a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump.
He claimed the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had requested that there be no questions from the media after the meeting. According to Gor, Trump agreed to the request but later opened the floor to questions himself.
The Union government or the MEA is yet to officially react to this statement.
Gor said Trump had asked him what Indian officials were likely to raise during the meeting and whether they had any specific requests. He claimed the MEA’s request was to allow the media into the meeting but avoid a full press conference.
“I told the president, I said, the Indians prefer no questions. He said, sure, no problem. So the meeting starts, the press comes in, there must have been 50 cameras, the president is sitting here, the prime minister is sitting there, they both speak for a few minutes. As soon as they get done, the first thing the president does, he looks up at the camera and says, any questions?” Gor claimed.
He said Trump’s question changed the nature of the interaction and led to what he described as a 45-minute press conference
