US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephonic conversation on Monday and agreed to resolve the issue of Americans weapons left behind in Afghanistan after the August 2021 withdrawal.
The Foreign Office in Islamabad and the State Department in Washington, in their separate statements, confirmed the first telephone call between the top diplomats of the two countries since President Donald Trump took oath on January 20.
"Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar held a telephone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio today (Monday)," read a statement issued by the Foreign Office here. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations, regional security, and economic cooperation, it added.
During the call, Dar reiterated Pakistan's commitment to strengthening its partnership with the United States. He emphasised the importance of strengthening cooperation in areas such as trade, investment and counterterrorism.
Secretary Rubio reciprocated the desire to collaborate with Pakistan in trade and investment in various sectors, especially critical minerals. He stressed that cooperation in economy and trade would be the hallmark of the future relations between the two countries, the Foreign Office stated.
Dar highlighted Pakistan's efforts in successfully fighting terrorism during 2013-18, which caused Pakistan huge economic and human losses. Rubio also appreciated Pakistan's efforts in the fight against terrorism and expressed the US desire to further enhance counterterrorism cooperation, it added.
The statement issued by the State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce in Washington stated that Secretary Rubio emphasised the importance of Pakistan's cooperation on law-enforcement and addressing illegal immigration.
Rubio thanked Pakistan for the arrest and transfer to the United States of ISIS-K operative Mohammad Sharifullah, the statement said, adding that both sides underscored the importance of continued cooperation on counterterrorism.
"They discussed US reciprocal tariffs on Pakistan and how to make progress toward a fair and balanced trade relationship," it added. "The secretary raised prospects for engagement on critical minerals and expressed interest in expanding commercial opportunities for US companies."
According to the State Department, both the top diplomats "looked forward to working together to address global challenges" during Pakistan's two-year tenure as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council that began on January 1.
The Foreign Office statement also said that the two leaders discussed the situation in Afghanistan. Secretary Rubio agreed on the need to resolve the issue of US military equipment left behind in Afghanistan, it concluded.
President Trump has been critical of the former president Joe Biden administration's Afghan strategy particularly the chaotic withdrawal. Trump in particular has repeatedly criticised Biden's faulty policy including American weapons left behind at the hands of terrorist groups.
Pakistan too has expressed concerns that American weapons were being used by terrorist groups.
According to the statement, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dar and Secretary of State Rubio agreed to remain in close contact and to work together to advance the shared interests of both countries.
The telephone call was held just ahead of the US delegation visit to Pakistan starting on Tuesday. A US interagency delegation would attend Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum and hold bilateral meetings on a range of issues including counter terrorism cooperation.
The State Department said on Sunday said that Senior Bureau Official (SBO) for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Eric Meyer, would lead an interagency delegation to Islamabad from April 8-10, "to advance US interests in the critical minerals sector at the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum".
Meyer would also meet with senior Pakistani officials to expand opportunities for American businesses in Pakistan and promote the deepening of economic ties between the two countries and "underscore the vital importance of our continued collaboration on counterterrorism".
The participation of US delegation in the Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum shows Washington's interest beyond security and counterterrorism cooperation. The delegation would also discuss the counterterrorism cooperation with Pakistan, according to the State Department.
Also, a US congressional delegation, led by Congressmen Jack Bergman and Tom Suozzi, will visit Pakistan from April 10 to 15. The aim of the visit is to promote bilateral relations. During the visit the delegation would hold talks with senior Pakistani leaders on trade, defence and education.
The US delegation would also meet with Pakistan's top political and military leadership, leaders of various political parties. The delegation would also visit Azad Jammu and Kashmir as well as the Kartarpur Corridor.
The visits of the US delegation, as well as the recent telephone call between Dar and Rubio came after a recent trip by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's key foreign policy aid to Washington. The visit was part of Pakistan's efforts to reset ties with the United States under the Trump Administration.
Special Assistant to Prime Minister Sayed Tariq Fatami was in the US capital and held a series of meetings with the Trump administration's officials and influential Congressmen in order to open a sustained channel of communication with the new administration.
Sources said that the government decided to send Fatami to the US to get sense of the ground situation with regards to Trump's priorities. Islamabad was buoyed by the fact that President Trump praised Islamabad for helping the US capture one of the key facilitators of August 2021 Kabul Airport attack.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ