Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: Good Evening ladies and gentlemen. I welcome you to this Special Press briefing by Foreign Secretary on Prime Minister’s upcoming visit to France and United States of America. We also have with us Shri Piyush Srivastava, Additional Secretary (EW) ... looks after France in the Ministry of External Affairs. Also, we will be joined by Additional Secretary (Americas), Shri K. Nagaraj Naidu little later. With that I invite Foreign Secretary sir to make his opening remarks on the visit.

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: Thank you, Randhir. Good afternoon. Thank you all for being here today. I'll just share a few pointers about these two very important visits that the Prime Minister will be undertaking next week. First, at the invitation of President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will be visiting France from 10th to 12th February, 2025. This visit is on the occasion of the organization of the Artificial Intelligence Summit, the AI Action Summit that France is organizing. And the Prime Minister will co-chair this AI Action Summit alongside President Macron of France.

The visit will also include a substantial bilateral component, and I'll walk you through some of the key elements of that bilateral component. You would recall that last year, President Macron was the Chief Guest at India's Republic Day celebrations, our 75th Republic Day last year. The two leaders have been in regular touch with each other. And in fact, during 2024, they met on three separate occasions. I just mentioned the Republic Day in New Delhi. They also met on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Italy, and then on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro.

In so far as the program in Paris is concerned, the Prime Minister will arrive in Paris in the evening of the 10th of February. He will, that evening, attend a dinner that is being hosted by President Macron at the Élysée Palace in honor of visiting Heads of Government and Heads of State. The dinner is also likely to be attended by a large number of CEOs from the tech domain and a number of other distinguished invitees to the summit. The following day, on the 11th of February, the Prime Minister will co-chair the AI Action Summit, along with President Macron.

Just a few words about the AI summit and Artificial Intelligence itself in general. All of you are aware. In fact, I think you are probably all holding an AI app in your hands, on your phones, or on your laptops. Artificial Intelligence is bound to have and is already having profound impact across all sectors of the economy, polity, society, and governance. And therefore, Summits such as the AI Action Summit are both significant and timely. For those of you who follow AI closely, you would be aware that this is the third such high level summit that is being held in the very recent past. The first of these was in the UK in 2023, the second one in the Republic of Korea in 2024, and now this one in France.

The summits are driving the global discourse on, apart from other things, the governance of AI technology. And we expect that a leader's declaration will be adopted at this summit. India's own priorities. Again, for those of you who follow the subject closely, you would be aware that we are interested in AI applications that are designed, developed, deployed, and used in a safe, humane, responsible, and trustworthy manner. There are, of course, issues related to the inclusive use and application and deployment of AI. And of course, on the possible, in a sense, inevitable technology gap that we expect these kinds of developments to create and which it is our effort to try and minimize as much as possible.

After the AI summit, there will be a bilateral component to the visit. The Prime Minister and President Macron will address the India-France CEOs Forum, and they will also hold discussions in both the restricted and delegation level talks format. This visit will also take the Prime Minister out of Paris. Together with President Macron, he will travel to Marseille in the evening of the 11th of February. That evening, President Macron will host a dinner in honor of the Prime Minister. The following morning, on the 12th of February, the two leaders will together visit the Mazargues War Cemetery. This is a war cemetery that is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. And this will be an opportunity for both leaders to pay tribute to the sacrifices made by Indian soldiers during the First World War.

The two leaders will also take this opportunity to jointly inaugurate the newest Consulate General of India in Marseille. As you are aware, there are a number of Indian nationals, people of Indian origin who live and work in the south of France in a number of cities across the region in Toulouse, in Nice, Marseille, in Grenoble, in Lyon. And the consulate will bring closer, the services that we provide to Indian citizens and persons of Indian origin.

And the final part of the program in France will be a visit that both leaders will undertake together to a place called Cadarache, which for those of you who follow atomic energy will know is the site of the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), which is a project, a high science project in which India is a partner along with a few other countries.

A few words about the relationship in general, not that one really needs to emphasize this, but India and France share a special relationship. We have traditionally enjoyed close and friendly relations in a number of areas. Last year, we celebrated the 25th anniversary of our strategic partnership. And the strategic partnership covers the entire gamut of issues from defense and security, civilian nuclear matters, space, trade, economy, and commerce, and is now expanding to newer areas such as innovation and technology, maritime security cooperation, counter terrorism, health cooperation, renewable energy, and development cooperation, especially development cooperation aimed at third countries. And we are sure that the visit of the Prime Minister would further propel this strategic partnership with France.

Moving on to the visit of the Prime Minister to the United States at the invitation of the President of the United States of America; Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will pay an official working visit to the United States on 12th and 13th of February. This will be the first visit of Prime Minister Modi to the United States since the inauguration of the second presidential term of President Donald Trump.

You would be aware that Prime Minister would be amongst the first few world leaders to visit the United States following the inauguration of President Trump. And the fact that the Prime Minister has been invited to visit the U.S. within barely three weeks of the new administration taking office shows the importance of the India-U.S. partnership and is also reflective of the bipartisan support that this partnership enjoys in the United States. And the visit will be a valuable opportunity to engage the new administration on all areas of mutual interest.

Insofar as the program elements are concerned, the Prime Minister will hold a bilateral meeting with President Trump in both the restricted and delegation level formats. Senior U.S. administration figures are expected to call on Prime Minister during the visit. And the Prime Minister will also have the opportunity to interact with business leaders and with members of the Indian community.

Again, with regard to the relationship. This has been one of our strongest international partnerships in recent years. And Prime Minister's visit is in line with our steady engagement with the new administration following the election of President Trump in November 2024. You would recall that during the first term of President Trump, Prime Minister visited the United States on two occasions in 2017 and 2019. This time, after President Trump's election, Prime Minister was one of the first World leaders to call him and congratulate him. And after President Trump's inauguration, Prime Minister again called him to wish him. And it was on that occasion that they agreed to meet very soon. And that is the promise and the commitment that is now unfolding.

Of course, the External Affairs Minister also visited the United States to attend President Trump's inauguration ceremony as special envoy of the Prime Minister. While he was there, the Quad Foreign Minister's meeting took place, which was, I think, the first plurilateral engagement of the new administration and probably the first bilateral meeting that the new Secretary of State had with the Foreign Leader … was with External Affairs Minister.

In addition to these contacts, both Raksha Mantri and the National Security Advisor had contact with their respective counterparts. Raksha Mantri, in fact, spoke yesterday evening to Secretary Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense. And if I'm not mistaken, I think the National Security Advisor and his counterpart have also spoken very recently.

There has been a very close rapport between President Trump and Prime Minister Modi dating back to President Trump's first term. And there is an obvious convergence of interests between the two countries in a number of areas, trade, investment, technology, defense cooperation, counter terrorism in the security of the Indo-Pacific, and of course, people-to-people relations. The 5.4 million strong Indian community in the U.S. and the more than 350,000 students from India who are pursuing studies in Indian universities strengthen this bond immeasurably.

And again, I think Prime Minister's visit to the United States will give further direction and impetus to this very important partnership. We expect a Joint Statement to be adopted at the end of the visit. And we will share that in due course.

I think let me stop there and maybe try and take a few questions if you might have.

Manish Jha, TV9 Bharatbarsh: Sir, main Manish Jha hun TV9 Bharatvarsh se. Aapne abhi bataya ki Bharat aur America ke sambandh itne mazboot hain aur Trump ke shapath grahan ke baad ke vikas bhi aapne bataye. Lekin kal jab U.S. se deport karke kuch Bhartiyon ko laya gaya hain, uske baad se Bharat mein kaafi narazgi hain ki itne acche sambandh hone ke bawajood Bhartiyon ke saath aisa durvyavhar kyon hua. Halaanki Videsh Mantri ne Sansad mein bataya ki yeh pehli baar nahi hain ki deportation ho raha hain. Lekin agar aap bata sakein hum logon ko ki kya pehle ki deportation mein bhi isi tareeke se Bhartiyon ko bheja gaya tha, haath mein aur pair mein bediyan daal kar?

Dusra, ki bahut si political partiyan yeh keh rahi hain ki aise haalaat mein virodh swaroop Pradhanmantri ko America nahi jana chahiye. To Videsh Mantralaya ka is par kya rukh hain?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate Translation] : Sir, I am Manish Jha from TV9 Bharatvarsh. You just mentioned that the relations between India and America are very strong, and you also spoke about the developments after Trump’s swearing-in. However, after the U.S. deported some Indians yesterday, there has been considerable resentment in India over why such mistreatment happened to Indians despite such good relations.

Although the External Affairs Minister stated in Parliament that this is not the first time deportation is taking place, could you clarify whether, in previous deportations, Indians were also sent back in the same manner, with their hands and feet shackled?

Secondly, many political parties are saying that under such circumstances, as a mark of protest, the Prime Minister should not visit America. What is the stance of the Ministry of External Affairs on this?

Rishabh Madhavendra Pratap, Times Now: Foreign Secretary, good evening, Rishab from Times Now. Thank you for doing this. If I may ask, I have two questions, one at the AI summit, will there be a discussion or will India be putting forward its reservations regarding things like DeepSeek, given that there have been a lot within the government circle here in India as well about it … and China has made a statement saying that all steps being taken against it is politically motivated, (A); and (B), who all are we expected to meet in France, given that there will be Vice-Premier from China and Vice-President of America also available at the AI summit. Will there be any other bilateral expected between India and other countries?

Sidhant Sibal, WION: Sir, Sidhant from WION sir. Sir, continuing with the deportation issue now. If you can just perhaps talk about the Standard Operating Procedure which came about in 2012, what is the SOP like and was the chaining and handcuffing happened back then and if there is some history in terms of were there protests back then as well by the government of the day?

Kadambini Sharma, NDTV: Kadambini Sharma from NDTV. Iss baat ki jyada narazgi hain jis tarah se laya gaya hain, hathkadiyan aur bediyan dal kar. Deportation ko lekar shayad utna nahi hain. Toh kya ye mudda bhi Pradhan Mantri jab waha jayenge toh uthega?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate Translation] : Kadambini Sharma from NDTV. The main resentment is about the way they were brought back, with handcuffs and shackles. Perhaps there isn’t as much outrage over the deportation itself. So, will this issue also be raised when the Prime Minister visits there?

Seema: What would be the two most important issues that India wants to put on the table when Mr. Modi talks to Trump?

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary: Okay. Let me take first this question related to the deportations and the conditions that you referred to.

Dekhiye, Manish, aur mere khayal se Sidhant aur Kadambini, aap sabne yeh prashna puche hain. Toh jo pehli baat toh yeh hain ki Videsh Mantri ji ne jo kal Sadan mein bayan diya, woh aap sabne dekha hoga. Main usme aage aur kuch jod nahi sakta.

Lekin jahaan tak meri samajh hain, teen-chaar mudde hain jo mere vichar mein aapko dekhne chahiye, aapko samajhne chahiye. Pehla mudda toh yeh hain ki Videsh Mantri jo jis cheez ke baare mein kal baat kar rahe the, unhone Sadan ka dhyan aakarshit kiya Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) ki taraf, jin par unhone baat ki.

Aur jo SOPs hain on the use of restraints, jin halaat mein logon ko laya jata hain, toh jo SOPs hume bhi Ameriki adhikarigan jo hain, jinke baare mein unhone hume bataya tha. Toh Videsh Mantri ji Standard Operating Procedures ki baat kar rahe the.

Unhone apne bayan mein bataya ki yeh bakayda ek laid-down procedure hain. Aur yeh procedure 2012 se practice mein hain. Is baat ke baare mein bhi unhone, iske baare mein bhi unhone Sadan mein baat ki.

Toh pehli baat toh yeh hain ki Standard Operating Procedures ke baare mein unhone bataya jo kaafi saal se chale aa rahe hain.

Dusri baat jo unhone spasht ki woh yeh hain ki chunki kuch sawal uthe the ki jo yeh special udan jo aai hain, special flight aai hain iske yeh kin niyamon ya adhiniyamon ke tahet aai hain. Iska approval kaise hua. Procedures kya the. Aur flight clearance kaise hua. Toh unhone usko bhi spasht kiya apne bayan mein ki isme koi badlav nahi tha. There was no change from past procedure insofar as this flight clearance and approval was concerned.

Teesri baat jo aapne iske baare mein sawal uthaye hain ki kis tarah se logon ko kin halaat mein logon ko laya gaya hain. Yeh sahi hain isko uthana. Aur main aapse kehna chahata hoon ki hum Ameriki adhikario ke saath unse sampark mein hain in sab cheezon ke baare mein aur yeh baatchit unse chalti rahi hain. Yeh ek ya do baar hone wali baatchit nahi hain. Aur humne humesha iss baat pe zor diya hain ki logon ke saath sahi suluk kiya jana chahiye. Aur usme jo log abhi deport bhi ho rahe hain unke saath bhi sahi suluk hona chahiye.

Aur humari jankari mein jo bhi koi aisi, jab bhi kabhi aisi baatchit aati hain ki koi badsaluki hui ho kisi ke saath toh hum uss mamle ko zarur uthate rahe hain aur aage bhi uthayenge jo bhi humari jankari mein laya jayega.

Aur chauthi cheez jo Videsh Mantri ji ne kahi jiske baare mein unhone dhyan aakarshit kiya Sadan ka, wo tha ki dekhiye ek tarah se main kahunga asli cancer kya hain. Asli cancer hain jo ecosystem hain illegal migration ko promote karne ka. Yeh jo gangs ka kaam hain, jo bhole-bhale aur masoom logon ko fusla ke badi-badi unse rakam jama karwa ke unko bahar le jaate hain aur uske baad logon ko aise wapas aana padta hain, unke khilaf karwai ki avashyakta hain. Unke khilaf action ki zarurat hain aur iske baare mein bhi unhone dhyan aakarshit kiya logon ko. Iske baare mein sarkar ko aage kaam karna hoga.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate Translation] Look, Manish, and I believe Sidhant and Kadambini, you all have raised this question. So, the first thing is that the External Affairs Minister made a statement in the House yesterday, which you all must have seen. I have nothing more to add to that. However, as far as my understanding goes, there are three to four key points that, in my opinion, you should consider and understand. The first point is that the External Affairs Minister, while speaking in the House yesterday, drew attention to the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that he discussed.

And the SOPs regarding the use of restraints, the conditions under which people are brought in—these SOPs were also explained to us by the American authorities. The External Affairs Minister was referring to these Standard Operating Procedures. In his statement, he made it clear that this is a properly laid-down procedure. And this procedure has been in practice since 2012. He also addressed this matter in the House. So, the first key point is that he provided details about the Standard Operating Procedures, which have been in place for many years.

The second point that he clarified is that since some questions were raised about this special flight, under which rules or regulations it arrived, how its approval was granted, what the procedures were, and how the flight clearance was given. He addressed these concerns in his statement. He made it clear that there was no change in the established process. There was no change from past procedure insofar as this flight clearance and approval was concerned.

The third point, you have raised concerns the conditions under which people were brought back. It is right to raise this issue. And I want to say that we are in contact with the American authorities regarding all these matters, and these discussions have been ongoing. This is not a one-time or two-time conversation. We have always emphasized that people should be treated fairly. Even those who are currently being deported should be treated with dignity. Furthermore, whenever any such issue comes to our attention, whenever there are reports of mistreatment, we have always raised such cases, and we will continue to do so for any future cases that are brought to us.

The fourth point that the External Affairs Minister highlighted in the House was about identifying the real issue at hand. If I were to put it plainly, the real cancer here is the ecosystem that promotes illegal migration.

This is the work of organized gangs who deceive innocent and unsuspecting people, extract large sums of money from them, and send them abroad—only for them to be forced to return under such circumstances. There is a need for strict action against them. He also drew attention to this issue, emphasizing that strong measures must be taken against such networks. Moving forward, the government must work to address this.

So, basically that is my understanding of these issues. The description by the External Affairs Minister of the Standard Operating Procedures relating to the use of restraints, which has been communicated to us by U.S. authorities, including the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and you would recall that EAM attracted attention to the fact that these have been in practice for a long period of time, at least since 2012, about flight procedures and flight clearances, etc. Again, there was no change from past procedure in this.

On the issue of mistreatment, it is a valid issue to raise, and we continue to emphasize to U.S. authorities that there should be no mistreatment of deportees. But this is a continuing exercise and conversation and we will continue to take up any instances of mistreatment that come to our attention. And then, of course, the last point, which is that action needs to be taken across the system against the underlying ecosystem that thrives on promoting illegal immigration.

I think Sidhant had a supplementary question on the SOPs of 2012, and whether there was a protest in it. No, I don't think there was any protest. We don't have any record of any protest having been made about it.

Rishabh, on the AI summit and your reference to some other applications that have been developed and our attitude. Look, I won't add to what other departments have already said, but we would like to pursue a positive agenda at the AI summit. As I pointed out in my opening remarks as well, our priorities, and our concern is to ensure that AI is designed, developed, deployed and used in a responsible manner, in a trustworthy manner and in an ethical manner. We are also interested in ensuring equitable access to AI technology to connected issues such as data protection and inclusivity because technology such as this always runs the risk of perpetuating a digital divide that already exists across the world. So that is what we would like to focus on.

Insofar as bilateral meetings in France are concerned, these are under preparation and we'll update you as soon as they are fixed.

Seema's question on two issues, I think there are going to be more than two issues that are going to be placed. I think it's difficult to say most important in a relationship that is as broad and deep and wide as it is. I think it would be difficult to come to just two issues that are important. I wouldn't want to sort of overemphasize one at the cost of the other. I think all of the issues are very, very important and you're aware what the issues are. There's trade, there's investment, there's defense, {missing audio} … these are all important issues in the relationship. Thank you.

Yeshi Seli, Business India: This is Yeshi Seli from Business India. I have two questions. One is, are there more flights of deportees likely to come from the U.S. and is U.S. going to be sending its aircraft to send all of them back? And the second is, there is trouble in India's neighborhood in Bangladesh, you know, there are protests, there are houses being burned down of the founder, and there is also a threat to the Indian High Commission. They've said that if Sheikh Hasina isn't deported back, we will target that. So, is Prime Minister Modi likely to discuss Bangladesh when he goes to the U.S. with President Trump?

Sachin Parashar, Times of India: Sachin from the Times of India. Foreign Secretary, following up on your remarks on deportation, just want to check with you if we have registered a formal protest with the Americans about the treatment which was given to our citizens. We saw Brazil doing that, when the same thing was done with their citizens in the past few weeks. And my second question is, if we are hopeful of reviving the trade negotiations which we saw under the first Trump administration for an agreement. Thank you.

Vishal Pandey, ABP News: Sir, main Vishal Pandey hoon ABP News se. Mera sawal yeh hain ki kya koi dusri list bhi America ke taraf se saupi gayi hain jinhe haal-filhaal mein deport kiya jana hain aur dusra sawal yeh hain ki kya Elon Musk Pradhan Mantri se America mein milne wale hain?

[Question in Hindi: Approximate Translation] Sir, I am Vishal Pandey from ABP News. My question is whether another list has also been submitted to the U.S. for individuals who are set to be deported in the near future. And my second question is whether Elon Musk is going to meet the Prime Minister in America.

Samira Hussain, BBC News: Samira Hussain from BBC News. In terms of deviation from previous deportation flights, what is new is the use of military planes to bring Indians back to country. I'm wondering if there was ever a consideration made by India to go and collect their own citizens instead of using a military plane, like we saw with Colombia. And the second question is, the United States considers India as one among the top most uncooperative countries when it comes to repatriating their citizens. What promises is India … or concessions will India now be willing to give to the United States?

Smita: Foreign Secretary, just to follow up, on the deportation issue, I think if there would be clarity, if you could give us data about when was the last time a military aircraft was used, when was the last time Indians were actually shackled on the aircraft, and has India's diplomatic response been much more muted and soft compared to other countries, given the upcoming trip and the meeting between Mr. Modi and Donald Trump? And just a quick reaction to President Trump's controversial statements on clearing up the Gaza Strip and driving off Palestinians. Has India taken a view of this statement and the plans that he has been proposing?

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary, India: Again, I think a number of connected issues. But on Yeshi's question on more flights and the kind of aircraft to be used, look, you are aware that there are reports about illegal immigrants from various countries in different states in the United States, including from India. Their legal, sort of, position and status insofar as the U.S. justice system is concerned is also being the subject of media reports. We have some information about the numbers that are there in the United States and we are working with such numbers as are made available to us and that we are then able to . I think it's important to note in this and as a general response to some of the other questions also that have been posed that this process of deportations is not new. This is something that the External Affairs Minister also emphasized in Parliament yesterday. It has been going on and if you wish, I mean, the External Affairs Minister cited figures only from 2009, but he could actually have cited figures from before that as well because those figures are also available. In fact, there are multiple categories of people returning from the United States. There are people who are returned and people who are removed from the United States and the differences is on account of the judicial process or the official and legal processes that are applied to both and it would be useful. Many of these figures are available in the public domain, so you can look into these figures. But insofar as numbers of returnees, how many flights, I mean obviously more flights will depend on the number of returnees that are confirmed as Indian citizens. It's hard to give an exact number, because we can't anybody as an Indian national until we check that. I think that goes to Samira's question as well. I would not accept the description of India as an uncooperative country. Any country in the world, if it is going to accept its nationals back, will want to have the assurance that whosoever is coming back is a bonafide citizen of India. There are issues of legality associated with it, there are issues of security associated with it. And therefore we have been in close communication with the United States on this matter and as soon as information is provided to us, we do the due diligence on that and then action follows.

In recent conversations, I mean this is just to share with you a sense of the numbers that we have reasonably greater insight into; in recent conversations, when we have sought details about potential returnees from the United States, we have been told that there are up to 487 presumed Indian citizens with final removal orders with the U.S. authorities. We have sought details, and identifying details and particulars have been supplied to us with regard to 298 individuals. We received this a short while ago. We are checking on this and we will revert to our U.S. counterparts on these issues. About the others, we have not yet been provided details.

Now, of course, many amongst you in this room will say that there are a lot of other numbers that are floating around out there. There may well be. But I can only give you a firm answer with regard to numbers when I can that these are indeed Indian citizens. At that point in time, I can tell you that we have so many Indian citizens, there will be aircraft available with so much capacity. You can do the math on how many flights that will amount to.

So, we have been very transparent on this issue with our U.S. counterparts and I think, you know, there was a question, I think Samira also raised this question on the use of military planes. This particular, especially the deportation that happened day before yesterday, is somewhat different compared to the earlier flights that have taken place, that have been taking place for many many years, as you would be aware, is of a slightly different nature. Because in the U.S. system itself, it was described as a National Security Operation and that is perhaps one of the reasons why a military aircraft was used. Insofar as alternatives are concerned, we will consider any alternatives that would be feasible.

Yeshi had another question on Bangladesh. You are aware of our statement that we have made recently with regard to the unfortunate incidents relating to the residence of Sheikh Mujib. We would also like to point out that the safety of diplomatic premises is the responsibility of the host government, and I have no doubt that the Bangladesh authorities are fully aware of their responsibilities in this regard. As to whether the issue will come up in discussions in Washington, D.C., I can't prejudge right now. There will be discussions on the regional and international situation. I would imagine this might be one of the issues that will come up.

Sachin's question on, I think again it was related to deportation, formal protests. Yes, we have been in touch with U.S. authorities on this issue on a continuing basis and we have registered our concern with the U.S. authorities on these matters.

Reviving trade negotiations, again I already pointed out that trade and investment issue is going to be a priority issue in the discussions between the two sides. I would again not prejudge the outcome of the discussions, but I am sure that there will be very intense discussions on this issue.

Vishal aapka sawal tha. Aur bhi list hain, maine jawab de hi diya hain ek tarah se. Jaise-jaise humare paas soochna aayegi, hum uspe kaam karte jayenge. Aur Pradhan Mantri ji kya Elon Musk se milenge? Baatchit kin-kin ke saath hoti hain, kaise hoti hain, kab hoti hain, jab humare paas soochna hogi toh main aapke saath usko zarur share karunga.

[Answer in Hindi: Approximate Translation] Vishal, your question was whether there are more lists. I have already answered that in a way. As and when we receive information, we will continue to work on it. As for whether the Prime Minister will meet Elon Musk, with whom all the discussions take place, how they happen, and when they happen; when we have that information, I will certainly share it with you.

I think Smita's question on the last time a military aircraft … I would probably need to go and check the last time a military aircraft was used. I don't have the information immediately. But on the other part, you know, I answered in the earlier lot that the standard operating procedure that was … that is known publicly and that was also shared by U.S. authorities has been in practice since 2012. So, I think that answers the question.

On the Gaza Strip, you are aware of what our stand is on the issue of Palestine. It's a long-standing position. It has not changed.

Huma Siddiqui: Huma Siddiqui. You said that in France, the Prime Minister will also visit the site of thermal nuclear reactor. So, would that mean that the civil nuclear reactors that we were talking about with France, that has been delayed for a long time, will that be also discussed? And the same with the U.S. We have been talking about the nuclear reactors with the U.S., what happens to them?

Siddhant Mishra, CNN-News18: Hi, Foreign Secretary. I'm Siddharth from CNN-News18. Sir, I have two questions. One related to extradition of Tahawwur Rana, because we've been told as per the reports that the final orders have come from U.S. Supreme Court. So, if you could shed some light on his extradition. And second, taking forward Huma ma'am's question, in the recent financial budget, it has been announced that there's going to be some amendments to the existing nuclear laws and there's a target that has been set for the nuclear energy for India. Can we expect some big-ticket announcements in France and U.S., both collaborations with the private sector for these small reactors. And also Jaitapur Power Plant, will there be discussion on that? Thank you.

Suhasini, The Hindu: Foreign Secretary, you've said that all procedures that were used in the deportation, there is nothing new. It's followed. So I am a little … I didn't understand, you said that we have registered our concerns with the U.S. authorities. So what are those concerns regarding? If I may ask, The Hindu has spoken, and other newspapers have spoken to women who said that they were shackled. External Affairs Minister had said in Parliament that the U.S. had said they would not shackle the women and children, and yet this seems to have been done. So, my question is, that will specifically be part of India's protest with the U.S. And, also the question of nationals who are coming here. Every national who comes on these flights, someone that India has accepted, and since they are undocumented, do we accept undocumented Indian nationals from other countries ? Like Mexico has often said that they try to send them to India and they have not been able to. So, my question about whether each person who has landed in India, whether on a military plane or whether on any other plane, have they been verified by us before they are allowed to land? And just off the website of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, it has the procedures. It also says that there are three types of flights they use. They use charters, they use commercial air transportation, and they themselves have 12 planes that they operate as special high-risk charter flights. Those are for the real high-risk people. I don't think military flights have been used before. This is the first time, both according to our officials as well as theirs. So, I did want to ask, you know, the Colombian president said this is an undignified way of sending our citizen home. Does India consider the use of military planes as dignified?

Manish Chand, India Writes Network: Foreign Secretary, Manish Chand, India Writes Network. We are dealing with a famously transactional president and ahead of the visit, he has in fact conveyed that he would like India to buy more oil, more weapons. What is our wish list? I mean, what are we looking at as a form of trade-off? Thank you.

Sudhi Ranjan Sen, Bloomberg: Thank you. Foreign Secretary Sudhi Ranjan from Bloomberg. Sir, on the discussions with President Macron and with President Trump, could you give us an understanding on the kind of nuclear reactors, what are the kind of discussions we are going to take? And especially with President Trump, what kind of discussions are we expecting to have on tariffs? Are we … I mean, although we have signaled very clearly to President Trump.

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary, India: Okay. There is a bunch of questions on nuclear cooperation. So, to Huma's question on the visit to ITER and its connection with the civilian nuclear cooperation program. Two different things, ITER is about fusion energy, the civilian nuclear reactors are about fission and different projects. ITER is a multinational project, the things that we are pursuing with France under the Jaitapur thing is a bilateral thing. But notwithstanding that, on the Jaitapur issue itself, as you are aware, it's a large project, a complex project. There are financial and technical issues associated with it. And in fact, we recently had between India and France a meeting of the Special Task Force on nuclear energy, where some of these issues were discussed. The two sides remain in touch. As I said, there are a number of technical and financial, as well as regulatory and liability-related issues that need to be sorted out. This is a continuing engagement.

The associated question, I think Sidhant asked about the Civil Liability Act and the possible amendments to it. You have seen the announcement in the budget by the Honorable Finance Minister, where the possibility of an amendment in the Civil Liability Nuclear Damage Act was raised. The amendment is the prerogative of parliament, so I won't get ahead of that, but this is clearly something that would certainly make a difference in the landscape of international nuclear cooperation, not just with France, but also with the United States and other countries.

In terms of announcements, I won't be able to speak about announcements now. But, you referred to small modular reactors. Small modular reactors, advanced modular reactors are both subjects of discussion, both with France and with the United States, and we expect these discussions to progress at a quick pace in the coming months and years.

You also had a question on the extradition of Tahawwur Rana. I think from recent developments, you would be aware that Mr. Rana has exhausted all legal avenues in the United States, with the U.S. Supreme Court also dismissing his appeal, and therefore we are now in touch with U.S. authorities to work on the logistics of his surrender to Indian authorities, and we will update you as soon as we hear further on this particular matter.

Suhasini, on your question with regard to concerns, as I said, while we have heard from U.S. officials and we have been made aware of the SOPs on the use of restraints, and EAM described this in his statement yesterday as well. Notwithstanding that, if there are specific issues that are brought to our attention that we notice … and we do make our concerns known to the United States that it is perhaps, you know, this kind of treatment can perhaps be avoided. These are conversations that we are having with the United States.

Your question on nationals accepting undocumented nationals from other countries. You mean do we take back people from other countries? With any country that is able to provide us information, that we are then able to verify that these are our nationals, we will take them back from there. It's not something that is limited only to the United States. There are illegal immigrants in other places, and we are able to verify them as per our records. We would certainly take them back, that would be our…

On military flights, again, I would say that the nature of the flight was, in this occasion, determined by a significantly different type of operation; the characterization by the United States as a National Security Operation and there was a request made that this would be the quickest way to do it. But there are other types of flights that have taken place in the past and we remain open to exploring all of these alternatives for the future as well.

On Manish's question, look, energy, defense, these are the broad areas that you have referred to. Both of these are definitely going to be on the table when the Prime Minister and the President meet. So, I expect that there will be good discussions on these two issues.

Sudhi's question on nuclear reactors, I have already answered. On tariffs, again, you have seen the announcements that have been made in the budget by the Finance Minister. Some of those are already out there. We expect that there will be a more intense and continuing conversation with the United States on these matters. We look forward to those discussions.

Unidentified Speaker: Small clarification please. Have we formally … (unclear audio)

Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary, India: We are in touch with the U.S. authorities, and we have made our concerns known.

Shri Randhir Jaiswal, Official Spokesperson: So, with that ladies and gentlemen, we come to the close of this special press briefing. We will keep updated on both the visits. Thank you very much for your presence.

New Delhi
February 7, 2025