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.
In her remarks at Raisina Dialogue on March 18, Gabbard expressed happiness on being back in India and called it a warm experience knowing the rich history of India. She began her address by greeting the audience with ‘Jai Shree Krishna.’
Gabbard said, “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. I wanted to start our conversation today by greeting you with ‘Aloha’ and ‘Namaste’. Contrary to popular belief, these words are not just greetings. They actually both have very deep, spiritual, powerful meanings that, for me, have been at the core and heart of my life and are what I hope will inspire meaningful dialogue and conversations here at Raisina. When we greet each other with ‘Aloha’ and ‘Namaste’, what it really means is that I am coming to you and greeting you with respect.”
“It is a recognition of the eternal divine spirit that exists within each of our hearts. It’s a reminder that we are all connected, that we are all children of God, regardless of our race or religion, ethnicity, politics, our background, where we come from, our status in society. 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 added.
She thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for inviting her to Raisina Dialogue. She noted that the ties between two nations have been strong for decades.
Gabbard said, “I especially want to thank prime minister Modi for the invitation, to get together with new friends, to greet old friends here from across the Indo-Pacific region. I leave right after our dialogue here to head back to Washington, DC, but it’s 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.
“I’m grateful to be here with all of you, because these gatherings are so important, because they give us the opportunity to come together and actually engage in direct dialogue and conversation around the most timely and pressing issues that face us all. The theme of this conference couldn’t be better people, peace and planet, highlighting these fundamental aspirations that unite us, it’s the foundation that prosperity, security and freedom rests. If we are not at peace, we cannot be truly prosperous, secure, or free,” Gabbard said.
“And so today, our actions, our dialogue, the reaffirmation of our commitments to these principles, to one another and our partnerships, and our shared vision for the future provide us with the opportunity to build more meaningful relationships and work together as we leave this conference towards the interests of the people, to protect our planet and to further the cause of peace,” she added.
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. So, I’m very familiar with the rich and beautiful cultures, the kindness and hospitality that I’ve experienced everywhere I’ve gone and the rich history within each country that leads to a better understanding of the nuance and complexities that exist within these countries but also within the relationships in the region.”
“It’s a vast and critical region that’s not just a geographic space. It is the geopolitical centre 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,” she added.
She spoke about the war and conflicts that are taking place around the world. She also mentioned about Trump during his Presidency campaign expressed his commitment to peace and bringing an end to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Tulsi Gabbard said, “Unfortunately, we live in a time where war and conflict is being waged on many fronts around the world. The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, founded in 1945 by Albert Einstein and Oppenheimer, has declared the doomsday clock to be 89 seconds to midnight, closer to the brink of nuclear catastrophe than ever before. So, your focus again on peace, people and planet is timely. It is times like this that call on leaders to stand up for these interests that affect us all and will affect generations who will follow. Unfortunately, as we’ve seen throughout history, simply calling for peace too often invokes attacks and smears. Perfect example is during President Trump’s recent campaign for the presidency, he made it a pillar of his campaign to share his commitment to peace and to bring his leadership towards bringing about an end to the Russia-Ukraine war, to stop the killing, to prevent this risk of World War III and nuclear war and for this commitment and for this commitment, he was attacked relentlessly not only by his political opponents and legacy media in our own country, but even by those abroad.”
“Despite these attacks and smear campaigns, the American people voted overwhelmingly for him to return to the White House and delivered a very clear message and mandate for peace, which he is carrying out as we gather here today. These goals cannot be achieved by any one person or one nation alone. Our ability to make progress toward a peaceful, secure, free and prosperous society must be done together and it begins with us,” she added.
The Raisina Dialogue, which is being held in Delhi from March 17-19, is hosted by the Observer Research Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of External Affairs. It is India’s premier conference on geopolitics and geoeconomics committed to addressing the most challenging issues facing the global community.
(with inputs from ANI)
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