Gabbard expresses confidence in US-India partnership

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Tulsi Gabbard, US director of National Intelligence, speaking at the Raisina Dialogue in India March 18, 2025. PHOTO: ANI

US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard expressed confidence that the partnership and friendship between the US and India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump will continue to grow and strengthen.

“It is great for me to be back here in India. It’s been too long, but it’s always such a wonderful and warm experience knowing the rich history of this country and the vibrant democracy that really serves as the foundation for the special bond that has long existed between our two countries,” Gabbard said.

Gabbard, who is from Hawaii, and is a Hindu by faith, spoke at length about the deeper meanings behind the greetings ‘Aloha’ and ‘Namaste’ which she greeted the gathering with.

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“By greeting us in this manner, we are opening the door to a much more meaningful and deeper exchange that gets past the divisiveness and the partisanship that too often poisons the conversations that we have. It’s a critical reminder that what we share in common is far more powerful than that which sets us apart,” she said.

She thanked prime minister Modi for the invitation, “to get together with new friends, to greet old friends here from across the Indo-Pacific region,” adding that it had been “a constructive few days where I’ve been engaging with our Indian counterparts, working to continue to build up the momentum that was created by President Trump and Prime Minister Modi’s joint statement issued in Washington DC after their Oval Office meeting.”

“The partnership between our two countries has been strong for decades, and under the leadership of two great leaders and true great friends, President Trump and Prime Minister Modi, and rooted in our shared values of peace and freedom, security and prosperity, I’m confident that this partnership and friendship between our two nations and our leaders will continue to grow and strengthen,” she added.

She called gatherings like Raisina Dialogue “important” as they give an opportunity to hold direct dialogue around the “most timely and pressing issues” that the world faces today.”  She praised the theme of this conference – people, peace and planet, highlighting these fundamental aspirations that unite us, it’s the foundation that prosperity, adding, “If we are not at peace, we cannot be truly prosperous, secure, or free.”

Recalling her childhood, Gabbard said, “I’m a child of the Pacific. I was born and raised first born in American Samoa raised in Hawaii. I’ve spent a lot of time throughout my life traveling throughout the Indo-Pacific and working in many different countries.”

She described the Indo-Pacific, as “a vast and critical region that’s not just a geographic space. It is the geopolitical center of gravity for the 21st century. So, ensuring peace and stability here is essential to our collective security, our objective of economic prosperity and our ability to work together to take on the great challenges of our time and we must tackle these challenges together. Our ability to do so as nations, as leaders, as people is critical towards achieving our collective goals.”

Gabbard also dwelt on the wars and conflicts that are taking place around the world.