US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard has stated that President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have shared interests and objectives, especially when it comes to "Islamist terrorism."
"President Trump, in his first administration and the presidency that continues now, has been very clear about his commitment to defeating this threat of Islamist terrorism that has plagued us, has and continues to pose a threat to American people. We see how it has been impacting people here in India and Bangladesh. Currently, it is ongoing in Syria, Israel and different countries in the Middle East. This is a threat that PM Modi also takes seriously and one where leaders of our two countries will work together to identify and defeat that threat," the US leader told news agency ANI during an interview.
Gabbard's visit marks the first high-level trip from the second Trump administration. Earlier in February, PM Modi visited the US where he met the National Intelligence Director and hailed her as a "strong proponent of India-US relations."
Speaking to NDTV, Gabbard further added that Trump and Modi have "shared objectives."
"With President Trump's leadership in the US and of course, Prime Minister Modi's longstanding leadership in India - we have two leaders of two great countries who are very good friends and very focused on how we can strengthen the shared objectives and interests," she told NDTV.
Tulsi Gabbard is on a two-day visit to India as part of a multi-nation visit to the Indo-Pacific region.
During her stop at India, the Director of National Intelligence met with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
After India, Gabbard is expected to make stops at Japan and Thailand to focus on "building strong relationships, understanding, and open lines of communication" to achieve Trump's objectives of "peace, freedom, and prosperity."
(With agency inputs)
