“President Trump said PM Modi is not sleeping”: US envoy Sergio Gor recalls anecdote from morning call | Follow | Today’s news
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor recently recalled an incident in which US President Donald Trump praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s work ethic.
Recalling an anecdote from an event the two leaders attended together, Ambassador Gor said that once President Trump suggested calling PM Modi even though it was early morning in India.
“A few months ago, I was at an event with President Trump backstage in Miami. And he suddenly said let’s call Prime Minister Modi. I told him it was 6 in the morning in India. But the president said that Prime Minister Modi will be awake. He’s like me. He’s not sleeping,” said Ambassador Gor during the DC Leadership Summit of the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum in Washington.
Gor said he scheduled a phone call for the next day. “The louder message from that story is that when you’re friends with someone, not everything has to be planned. And the President really considered the Prime Minister (Narendra Modi) a friend,”
At the same summit, Ambassador Gor said that India is in a rough part of the world because there are rough and tough neighbors and you have individuals who wake up in a bad mood and things are changing in that part of the world. “The United States and India have so much in common and that is something that will sustain us for decades to come. You pick a sector, artificial intelligence, technology, aerospace, whatever it is, we have the potential to work together… These two years will set the relationship on a path for decades to come…” he said.
US-India trade deal in ‘final steps’: Gor
Gor also said the US-India trade deal was in its “final stages” with only the final one percent of negotiations remaining to be completed, while expressing confidence that a deal would be concluded soon.
Gor said he was determined to agree because it would be beneficial for both nations, and it would be sealed after nearly 18 months of negotiations.
“We’re in the final stages of this deal. Most of this deal is done. There are a few items left on both sides. It’s the last 1 percent of this deal,” he said.
The US envoy to India was upbeat about the bilateral relationship, citing the personal equation between US President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi that has guided relations.
The US envoy said that the President has very good memories of his visit to India and still talks about it.
“His (Trump’s) visit last time was one of the most remarkable visits that he keeps talking about. He’s keeping her in a very sweet place. It’s an incredible thing. So I’m looking forward to the president visiting us back in India,” Gor said.
He pointed to the ambitious target announced by President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to increase bilateral trade to $500 billion.
“What President Trump and Prime Minister Modi have announced as a bilateral trade target of $500 billion over the next few years is a staggering number that is unprecedented,” Gor said.
The louder message from this story is that when you’re friends with someone, not everything has to be planned.
“We are ready to do so much with India. India exports more to the United States than anywhere else by far,” Gor added.
