Tulsi Gabbard doesn’t regret 2017 meeting with Assad

Washington: Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu Congresswoman, has said that she does not regret her 2017 meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, who has been accused of using chemical weapons to attack civilians in his country’s years-long civil war. Gabbard, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, told CNN in an interview on Sunday that American leaders must meet foreign leaders “if we are serious about the pursuit of peace and securing our country”. She was earlier criticized for voicing skepticism that the Assad regime was behind the chemical weapons attacks.

Asked whether she regretted the meeting with the Syrian leader, Gabbard said: “No, I think that it is, it continues to be very important for any leader in this country to be willing to meet with others, whether they be friends or adversaries or potential adversaries if we are serious about the pursuit of peace and securing our country.” Gabbard also drew a comparison between her meeting with Assad to President Donald Trump’s summit with North Korean leader Kim-Jong un in 2018. The only alternative to having these kinds of conversations is more war,” she said. (IANS)

Also Read: First Hindu in US Congress Tulsi Gabbard to run for President