In a press release issued by the Embassy of Pakistan, Ambassador Rehman “stressed the need for both countries to work together to build a relationship that is equitable, transparent and predictable.”
Rehman added that Pakistan had endured the most sacrificies than any other country in the war against terror, and that they had also contributed the most towards successes in the war.
The press release adds that the Centcom Commander “acknowledged Pakistan’s contribution, especially the close cooperation of Pakistani military with Nato/Isaf forces in Afghanistan.”
General James Mattis also stressed on the importance of continued collaboration between both countries at all levels, to take the relationship forward “in a mutually beneficial manner.”
The meeting comes at a time when relations between both countries remain strained after the November 26 Nato airstrike which led to the death of 24 Pakistani soldiers. The two leaders met a day after the BBC published excerpts from a leaked Nato report that says Pakistan is supporting the Afghan Taliban.
COMMENTS (7)
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@US Centcom: Sell the terrorism snake oil to double digit IQ holders in your country. We know your boogeyman serves purpose of encircling China and Russia, cut China energy supplies and make China invade Siberian oil fields.
These are the words of a person who controls policy from Carter to Obama.
"In that context, how America 'manages' Eurasia is critical. A power that dominates Eurasia would control two of the world's three most advanced and economically productive regions. A mere glance at the map also suggests that control over Eurasia would almost automatically entail Africa's subordination, rendering the Western Hemisphere and Oceania (Australia) geopolitically peripheral to the world's central continent. About 75 per cent of the world's people live in Eurasia, and most of the world's physical wealth is there as well, both in its enterprises and underneath its soil. Eurasia accounts for about three-fourths of the world's known energy resources."
@Cautious:
its a wishful thinking to imagine that pakistan has a foreign incharge, yes if it needs funding it would pretend that US is incharge otherwise you must have heard how closely pakistan is linked to regional stakeholders i.e Afghanistan, Iran, Russia and China. The current diplomatic situation shows that US desparately needs pakistan's attention i think this photo is more of an oppertunity for US media to show the world that pakistan still cares about US.
Dear Moise,
It is no secret that the past year was full of obstacles and challenges for the U.S. and Pakistan. It is unfortunate that the tragic “Salala” incident became the highlight and severely damaged our relationship. We have also endured the repercussions associated with both nations failing to see eye to eye. Our common enemies took full advantage of our debacle, and the surge in attacks throughout the region proved that they fully enjoyed the opportunity to further their dark and evil agenda. Our governments have been working extremely hard to resolve the issues in order to prevent anything similar from ever happening again. We are confident of a full recovery, and this meeting proves our commitment and willingness to move forward. We cannot go back and change what happened, but we should remain hopeful of working out all differences for the sake of achieving our common objectives in the region. The ultimate goal of defeating terrorism holds the utmost importance, and therefore it is imperative that we approach this year with good intent, and applaud the efforts to improve the level of communication and coordination.
If anyone absolutely knows who's in charge (and who's not) of Pakistan's foreign policy it's the American military -- this is a nice "photo op" for Rehmann but little else. The Ambassadors real job is to lobby American Congress but she has yet to meet with any of them. Maybe it's time for her to go to work?
Old wine in new bottle
A big flag .. a bitty little one ... a guide book on Pakistan perched on the table and maybe the rug is made in Pakistan too ... all to be boxed up in the attic until the next show. Move along, it's the same old same old.
Take dictation from US, enforce it on Pakistanis. Brand new year, same olds hit.