News Brief

Canadian PM Trudeau Rejected Presidential Suite Offered By India For Regular Rooms During G20 Summit, Caused Diplomatic Drama

Bhuvan Krishna

Sep 21, 2023, 04:09 PM | Updated 04:06 PM IST


PM Narendra Modi with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau.
PM Narendra Modi with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau.

During the recent G20 summit, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's security personnel caused concern among Indian intelligence officials, when they refused to allow him to stay in the specially-prepared presidential suite.

This suite had been furnished by the Indian security establishment according to the security protocols for heads of state.

According to sources in the security establishment, the hotel where Trudeau was staying in central Delhi had implemented an advanced security shield.

This shield included bulletproof glass with a thick layer of polycarbonate plastic capable of stopping sniper bullets. Additional security equipment was also installed to ensure a foolproof arrangement.

Trudeau's delegation made the decision to not stay in the suite provided, instead opting for regular rooms. This caused concern among Indian security officials, leading to multiple negotiations.

The Indian officials insisted on following protocols to ensure security, but eventually had to back off as the final decision rested with Trudeau and his embassy.

Interestingly, the Canadians offered to pay for the presidential suite despite choosing to stay in regular rooms.

According to a Times of India report, sources have speculated that Trudeau may have been following the instructions of his security team, who possibly had concerns due to the tense relationship between the two countries.

Following the summit, there was a significant delay for Trudeau's departure to Canada due to a malfunction in his aircraft.

Originally scheduled to leave on the night of 10 September, the issue was discovered during the pre-flight inspection, leading to the grounding of the Airbus plane.

After the glitch was fixed and the aircraft was cleared for flight, the Canadian Prime Minister finally departed on Tuesday (12 September) afternoon.

It is worth noting that this was not the first time Trudeau's plane has experienced such malfunctions, with similar incidents occurring in 2016 and 2019.

Despite India's offer to provide a plane for Trudeau's return to Canada, the offer was declined.

Bhuvan Krishna is Staff Writer at Swarajya.


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