Islamabad:
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held a telephone conversation on Monday and agreed to resolve the issue of American weapons left in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of August 2021.
The Islamabad foreign ministry and the Washington State Department in their separate declarations confirmed the first telephone call between the main diplomats of the two countries since President Donald Trump was sworn in on January 20.
“The Deputy Prime Minister / Minister of Foreign Affairs, Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar, has held a telephone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio today (Monday),” a statement published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here. The two leaders discussed bilateral relations, regional security and economic cooperation, he added.
During the call, DAR reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to strengthen its partnership with the United States. He stressed the importance of strengthening cooperation in fields such as trade, investment and the fight against terrorism.
Secretary Rubio made the same part the desire to collaborate with Pakistan in trade and investment in various sectors, in particular critical minerals. He pointed out that cooperation in the economy and trade would be the brand brand of future relations between the two countries, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Dar highlighted Pakistan’s efforts to fight terrorism successfully in 2013-2018, which caused enormous economic and human losses in Pakistan. Rubio also appreciated Pakistan’s efforts in the fight against terrorism and expressed the American desire to further improve cooperation against terrorism, he added.
The statement published by the spokesperson for the State Department, Tammy Bruce, in Washington, said that secretary Rubio stressed the importance of Pakistan’s cooperation on the application of laws and the fight against illegal immigration.
Rubio thanked Pakistan for arrest and transfer to the United States of the Islamic State operator Mohammad Sharifullah, according to the press release, adding that the two parties stressed the importance of continuous cooperation on counter-terrorism.
“They discussed American reciprocal prices on Pakistan and how to progress to a fair and balanced commercial relationship,” he added. “The secretary has raised prospects for commitment to critical minerals and has expressed interest in expanding commercial opportunities for American companies.”
According to the State Department, the best diplomats “eagerly awaited to work together to meet the global challenges” during the mandate of two years in Pakistan as a non -permanent member of the United Nations Security Council which began on January 1.
The Ministry of Foreign’s press release also said that the two leaders had discussed the situation in Afghanistan. Secretary Rubio agreed to resolve the issue of American military equipment left in Afghanistan, he concluded.
President Trump criticized the Afghan strategy of former president Joe Biden Administration, in particular chaotic withdrawal. Trump in particular has repeatedly criticized the defective policy of Biden, including the American weapons left behind the hands of terrorist groups.
Pakistan also expressed its concerns that American weapons were used by terrorist groups.
According to the press release, the Darrier and Minister of Foreign Affairs Dar and Secretary of State Rubio agreed to stay in close contact and work together to advance the common interests of the two countries.
The telephone call took place just before visiting the American delegation in Pakistan from Tuesday. A delegation of American inter -institutions would attend Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum and would organize bilateral meetings on a series of questions, including cooperation against terrorism.
The State Department said on Sunday that the senior office manager (SBO) for the South and Central Affairs Office, Eric Meyer, would lead a delegation to Islamabad from April 8 to 10, “to advance American interests in the critical mineral sector in Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum”.
Meyer will also meet senior Pakistani officials to extend opportunities for American companies in Pakistan and promote the deepening of economic ties between the two countries and “highlight the vital importance of our continuous collaboration on counter-terrorism”.
The participation of the American delegation in Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum shows the interest of Washington beyond the cooperation in terms of security and the fight against terrorism. The delegation would also discuss cooperation against terrorism with Pakistan, according to the State Department.
In addition, a delegation from the American Congress, led by members of the Jack Bergman and Tom Suozzi Congress, will go to Pakistan from April 10 to 15. The purpose of the visit is to promote bilateral relations. During the visit, the delegation would hold talks with senior Pakistani leaders on trade, defense and education.
The American delegation would also respond to the main political and military leaders in Pakistan, leaders of various political parties. The delegation would also visit Azad Jammu and Kashmir as well as the Kartarpur corridor.
Visits to the American delegation, as well as the recent telephone call between Dar and Rubio, came after a recent trip by the key aid of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Washington. The visit was part of Pakistan’s efforts to reset links with the United States under the Trump administration.
Prime Minister Sayed Tariq Fatami’s special assistant was in the US capital and held a series of meetings with Trump administration officials and influential congresses to open a sustainable communication channel with the new administration.
Sources have said that the government had decided to send Fatami to the United States to get an idea of the field situation with regard to Trump’s priorities. Islamabad was supported by the fact that President Trump congratulated Islamabad for helping the United States capture one of the key facilitators in Kabul Airport August 2021.
