India on Monday reiterated Kashmir was a bilateral issue when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France.
The two leaders spoke to the media ahead of their one-on-one talks and PM Modi found himself inadvertently participating in a press conference as Trump took questions from reporters.
Modi and Trump said they had talked about Kashmir.
“All issues between India and Pakistan are bilateral. I believe together we can sort out our issues,” Modi said. He also said there was no scope for third party mediation.
Trump has previously offered to mediate between India and Pakistan on Kashmir, which India has rejected.
The US president said the two leaders spoke about Kashmir on Sunday night.
“The Prime Minister really feels he has it under control. They speak with Pakistan and I’m sure that they will be able to do something. They can do it themselves,” he said.
Notably, all the questions from the press were directed at Trump while Modi sat beside him.
A question on US’s threat to pull out of the WTO was directed at both the leaders. When prompted to answer the question, Modi said, “Let us speak between ourselves and then we’ll communicate to you.”
(This story will be updated with more details)