Biden and Modi discuss democracy, but the US media is not allowed in the meeting

2023-09-08 20:50:52, Kosova & Bota CNA

President Joe Biden held closed-door discussions with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for about an hour on Friday, shortly after arriving in New Delhi to attend the G20 gold level meeting over the weekend.

As Mr. Biden and Mr. Modi met at the Indian prime minister's residence, American media were herded into a van, out of sight of the leaders, an unusual situation for reporters and photographers who follow and film the president's public appearances in the United States and abroad. country.

The two leaders issued a joint statement after the meeting, which said the countries pledged to cooperate on a range of issues, from democratic values ??to the supply of semiconductor equipment to quantum computers.

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The prime minister's office released photos of the meeting, where the leaders appeared next to each other and discussed in a more friendly manner.

Mr Biden and Mr Modi last met in June, when the Indian leader was invited on a state visit to the White House. They were expected to discuss progress on a number of deals reached in June, including an agreement to allow General Electric to manufacture jet engines in India for the Indian military's military aircraft.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen was present at the meeting, as was White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, the White House said in a statement. From the Indian side, Foreign Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Security Advisor Ajit Doval were present.

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Reporters did not get to see President Biden or Secretary Yellen arrive and were left in a van outside Mr. Modi's residence, a compound in central New Delhi, for about 10 minutes before being asked to leave.

CRITICISM ON MEDIA FREEDOM

Questions about the approach of the media to the visit to India have been constant, since the meeting program, distributed by the White House, did not foresee the presence of journalists who follow the activity of the American president.

"We're trying to do everything we can to make sure you have access there," White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Air Force One as it traveled to India.

The First Amendment to the Constitution protects freedom of speech and the press in the United States, while freedom of speech is protected in Article 19 of the Indian Constitution.

The Indian prime minister has faced criticism for weakening media freedom in India since taking office.

The government says India has a free press.

The American press corps, made up of representatives from major news organizations, accompanies the president on domestic and foreign trips and generally has access to major events. News organizations fully reimburse the US government for travel costs, and it is extremely rare for them to be banned entirely.

Mr. Modi, who rarely appears in front of reporters or answers their questions in India, was asked by an American journalist about the state of respect for human rights during a press conference with President Biden at the White House in June.

His allies later attacked the journalist, undertaking a campaign of harassment on the Internet, which the White House described as "unacceptable" and "contrary to the basic principles of democracy"./ VOA