PM Modi knows how to deal with it: Trump on tackling terrorism from Pakistan

New York: India and US will have a trade deal very soon, said US President Donald Trump during a media interaction following his bilateral with Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Tuesday.

"We will have a larger deal down the road a little but we will have a trade deal very soon," Trump said.

Trump said that it will be great if Modi and his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan can "work out something" on Kashmir, distancing himself from any mediation between the two neighbours. "PM Modi knows how to deal with it," said President Trump when asked about tackling terrorism from Pakistan

Trump made the remarks as he met Prime Minister Modi on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session here.

"It will be great if they can work out something on Kashmir," Trump said in response to a question, a day after he met Khan on Monday and once again offered to mediate between Pakistan and India on the Kashmir issue if both sides agree.

Watch | PM Modi will take care of it: Trump when asked about Pak-sponsored terror

Modi was accompanied by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale, amongst other government officials.

US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo was present in the US delegation, apart from others.

"I am thankful to Trump that he came to Houston. He is my friend but he is also a good friend of India," Modi said at the meeting.

"PM @narendramodi and @POTUS @realDonaldTrump meet on the sidelines of the @UN session in New York. This comes days after both leaders were together at the #HowdyModi programme in Houston," the Prime Minister's office tweeted.

Both the leaders met for the second time in less than three days on Tuesday, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.

The bilateral comes in the backdrop of the US ending the privileges that India was enjoying under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) program on June 5.

The GSP, implemented since 1974, is the largest and oldest US trade preference scheme and it allows duty-free imports for thousands of products from designated beneficiary countries.

A bipartisan group of 44 US lawmakers had urged the Trump administration to reinstate the programme for New Delhi, following Washington's move.

Despite this, both countries have expressed confidence in their bilateral and trade ties.

Earlier, the two leaders had jointly addressed a gathering of more than 50,000 people at 'Howdy Modi' event in Houston on Sunday. The two leaders did not refrain from showcasing the close personal bond shared by them during the mega event which was held in Modi's honour.