Islamabad:
The United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, celebrated a telephone conversation on Monday and agreed to resolve the issue of US weapons that remained in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of August 2021.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad and the Washington State Department, in its separate statements, confirmed the first telephone call among the main diplomats of the two countries since President Donald Trump lent an oath on January 20.
“The Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Foreign Affairs, Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, made a phone call with the Secretary of State of the United States Marco Rubio today (Monday),” said a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations, regional security and economic cooperation, he added.
During the call, Giving reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to strengthen his association with the United States. He emphasized the importance of strengthening cooperation in areas such as trade, investment and counterterrorism.
The Rubio Secretary corresponded the desire to collaborate with Pakistan in commerce and investment in several sectors, especially critical minerals. He stressed that cooperation in the economy and commerce would be the distinctive seal of future relations between the two countries, the Foreign Ministry declared.
GIV highlighted Pakistan’s efforts to successfully combat terrorism during 2013-18, which caused Pakistan’s great economic and human losses. Rubio also appreciated Pakistan’s efforts in the fight against terrorism and expressed the desire of the United States to further improve anti -terrorism cooperation, he added.
The declaration issued by the spokesman for the State Department Tammy Bruce in Washington declared that the Rubio Secretary emphasized the importance of Pakistan’s cooperation in the application of the law and addressing illegal immigration.
Rubio thanked Pakistan for the arrest and transfer to the operation of the United States of ISIS-K Mohammad Sharifullah, according to the statement, added that both parties underlined the importance of continuous cooperation in anti-terrorism.
“We were discussed the reciprocal tariffs on Pakistan and how to move towards a fair and balanced commercial relationship,” he added. “The secretary raised perspectives of commitment in critical minerals and expressed interest in expanding commercial opportunities for US companies.”
According to the State Department, both main diplomats “hoped to work together to address the global challenges” during the two -year mandate of Pakistan as a non -permanent member of the United Nations Security Council that began on January 1.
The Declaration of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said that the two leaders discussed the situation in Afghanistan. The Rubio Secretary agreed to solve the problem of the US military team that was left in Afghanistan, he concluded.
President Trump has criticized the Afghan strategy of former President Joe Biden, particularly chaotic retirement. Trump in particular has repeatedly criticized Biden’s defective policy, including US weapons that remain at the hands of terrorist groups.
Pakistan has also expressed concern that terrorist groups were using US weapons.
According to the statement, the Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dar and the Secretary of State, Rubio agreed to remain in close contact and work together to advance the shared interests of both countries.
The phone call was made just before the visit of the United States delegation to Pakistan as of Tuesday. A delegation between US agencies would attend the Pakistan Mineral Investment Forum and celebrate bilateral meetings in a variety of issues, including terrorism cooperation.
The State Department said Sunday that the senior office official (SBO) for the South Affairs Office and Central Asians, Eric Meyer, would take a delegation between agencies to Islamabad from April 8 to 10, “to advance American interests in the critical mineral sector in the Pakistan mineral investment forum.”
Meyer would also meet with senior Pakistani officials to expand opportunities for American companies in Pakistan and promote the deepening of economic ties between the two countries and “underline the vital importance of our continuous collaboration in anti -terrorism.”
The participation of the US delegation in the Pakistan mineral investment forum shows Washington’s interest beyond the security and anti -terrorist cooperation. The delegation would also discuss anti -terrorism cooperation with Pakistan, according to the State Department.
In addition, a delegation from the United States Congress, led by congressmen Jack Bergman and Tom Suozzi, will visit Pakistan from April 10 to 15. The objective of the visit is to promote bilateral relations. During the visit, the delegation would have conversations with the main Pakistani leaders about commerce, defense and education.
The US delegation would also meet with the main political and military leadership of Pakistan, leaders of several political parties. The delegation would also visit Azad Jammu and Kashmira, as well as the Kartarpur corridor.
The visits of the United States delegation, as well as the recent phone call between Dar and Rubio occurred after a recent trip to the key help of the foreign policy of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Washington. The visit was part of Pakistan’s efforts to restore ties with the United States under the Trump administration.
Special Assistant of Prime Minister Sayed Tariq Fatami was in the capital of the United States and celebrated a series of meetings with Trump administration officials and influential congressmen to open a sustained channel of communication with the new administration.
The sources said the government decided to send Fatami to the United States to make sense of the situation of the land regarding Trump’s priorities. Islamabad was promoted by the fact that President Trump praised Islamabad to help the United States capture one of the key facilitators of the Kabul Airport of August 2021.
