Alice Wells to arrive in Islamabad next week

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States are expected to hold an important session of talks from next week in Islamabad.

According to diplomatic sources, a US delegation, headed by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Ambassador Alice Wells, will arrive in Pakistan next week on Tuesday to discuss economic and business relations.

Sources say Pakistan has also made regional security affairs as part of the agenda for the talks.

The representatives are also expected to review various options for promoting relations and mutual cooperation between the two countries.



Last year in November when Ambassador Wells visited Pakistan, Islamabad and Washington agreed to continue efforts to promote shared objectives of peace and stability in the region and diversify bilateral relationship.

On a day-long visit, she had called on Asad Umar, who was the then finance minister, and also held delegation-level talks at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The meeting took stock of the understanding reached between Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to rebuild the relationship based on mutual trust and respect, said a statement issued by the foreign office.

The Pakistani side laid emphasis on diversifying relationship between the two countries with particular focus on enhanced economic and trade cooperation and people to people contacts, the statement said.