WASHINGTON:
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with his Pakistani counterpart at the State Department in Washington on Friday, as negotiations aimed at ending the war with Iran drag on.
The meeting with Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, whose country acts as a mediator between the United States and Iran, came days after Rubio’s visit to India.
The two officials did not address the press.
Meanwhile, Rubio during the meeting acknowledged Pakistan’s “sincere diplomatic and mediation efforts” for peace and stability in the region.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Dar held a bilateral meeting with Secretary Rubio in Washington DC.
“The two leaders expressed satisfaction over the positive momentum in bilateral relations between Pakistan and the United States and exchanged views on the evolving regional and global situation,” the statement said.
He added that Secretary Rubio recognized Pakistan’s “sincere diplomatic and mediation efforts for peace and stability in the region and beyond.”
The statement said both sides agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including trade and investment, security and counterterrorism.
“The two leaders agreed to advance the Pakistan-US partnership, driven by high-level exchanges and shared interests in regional peace, security and prosperity,” he added.
A detailed statement said Rubio praised the close engagement and continued coordination between Pakistan’s leadership and the US administration, while Foreign Minister Dar expressed confidence that Pakistan’s continued sincere efforts for peace and stability will yield positive results.
He also “deeply appreciated the critical role” played by President Trump and Secretary Rubio in reducing tensions between Pakistan and India last year and avoiding a broader conflict between the two nuclear-armed states. Dar further conveyed Pakistan’s concerns regarding the use of Afghan territory by terrorist groups against Pakistan and emphasized the need for greater counter-terrorism cooperation to address security challenges.
Dar said he had a “very good meeting” with Rubio. “It is always a pleasure to collaborate with him to further strengthen bilateral relations between Pakistan and the United States and promote our shared goals of peace, stability and prosperity for our two countries and the broader region.”
Later, in a post on X, Rubio thanked Dar for Pakistan’s role in advancing peace in the Middle East. “We agreed on the importance of working together to further strengthen a meaningful partnership for greater security and greater prosperity for our two nations,” Rubio said.
The US State Department said Rubio thanked Foreign Minister Dar for the “constructive role Pakistan continues to play in realizing President Trump’s vision for Middle East peace and its mediation efforts with Iran.”
He said they both agreed on the importance of working together to “further strengthen a meaningful partnership that fosters security and prosperity” for both Americans and Pakistanis.
The State Department added that Rubio also expressed condolences for the victims of the recent terrorist attack by the Balochistan Liberation Army in Quetta.
Dar later categorically rejected any idea of Pakistan joining the Abraham Accords, reiterating that there would be “no flexibility” in Islamabad’s position on the matter until the recognition of an independent Palestinian state.
“There are many rumors related to the Abraham Accord, let me clarify that Pakistan’s stance is very clear and consistent on this. Until Palestine is recognized on the pre-1967 model with Quds Al Sharif as its capital, there will be no flexibility,” Dar said while addressing the media at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, DC.
The clarification came days after US President Donald Trump said he had asked several countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan and Turkiye, to join the Abraham Accords to normalize relations with Israel.
In a lengthy social media post, Trump listed countries whose leaders he said he had spoken to about efforts to end the war with Iran.
“After all the work done by the United States to try to solve this complex puzzle, it should be mandatory for all of these countries, at a minimum, to simultaneously sign the Abraham Accords,” Trump wrote.
“The countries discussed are Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain,” he added.
Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to expand the agreements, which were negotiated during his first term.
The Abraham Accords are US-sponsored agreements that normalized relations between Israel and several Muslim-majority countries during Trump’s first term.
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed the agreements in 2020, becoming the first Arab states in a quarter of a century to establish ties with Israel. Later, Morocco, Kazakhstan and Sudan followed suit.
Trump had previously expressed optimism that Saudi Arabia would also join the agreements following a ceasefire in Gaza last year, although Riyadh has not yet indicated its willingness to move forward. Egypt and Jordan already have diplomatic relations with Israel.
Pakistan has long maintained its support for an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Last year, after US special envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff suggested that other countries not previously “envisaged” were preparing to join the agreements, Pakistan again ruled out the possibility of recognizing Israel.
“We are not willing to recognize Israel until the two-state solution to the Palestinian conflict is accepted,” Dar had said at the time. “There is no change in our stated policy on the question of Palestine.”
He had also said that signing the Abraham Accords would amount to abandoning Pakistan’s long-standing demand for a Palestinian state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, based on pre-1967 borders.
“Let it be clear to all that our seven-decade policy remains unchanged,” he had said.
(With contributions from News Desk)
