PM Modi skips questions from press; Norwegian PM Store says ‘different traditions’

Key points

• The Ministry of External Affairs defended India’s record on democracy on Monday (May 18 2026), for the second time during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s European tour, over the PM’s decision not to take questions from the press.
• During the joint press appearance with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store, Mr.
• Modi was confronted by a Norwegian journalist who stood up and asked him to respond to media questions, as was the norm in the European country.
• Later in the day, after the same journalist confronted the Ministry of External Affairs on the issue, as well as on human rights during a briefing, a senior MEA official said that India is a “civilizational country”.
• “We hear a lot of people asking why this, why that, but let me tell you this.