ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi on Friday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to a strong and mutually beneficial relationship with the United States.
In a meeting with a group of former senior US officials and experts on South Asia in Islamabad, Fatemi noted that the exchanges so far with the new US administration have been warm and cordial, and that both Pakistan and the United States were keen to build a strong and mutually beneficial relationship to promote common interests and shared goals.
The US group included ambassador Robin Raphel, ambassador Richard Boucher, Tricia Bacon, David Smith and Michael Kugelman. The group was visiting Islamabad to participate in the second round of US-Pakistan Bilateral Dialogue organized by the Regional Peace Institute (RPI).
In welcoming the dialogue participants from the US, the Special Assistant thanked them for their contributions in promoting understanding and cooperation between Pakistan and the United States. He highlighted the need for continuous dialogue and communication between the two countries in view of the importance of the relationship for both as well as for promoting peace and security in the region.
Tariq Fatemi stressed that all such dialogue opportunities provided a good opportunity to bridge the gap in perceptions in Washington on Pakistan and its policies and the changing realities on the ground.
The Special Assistant also briefed the US visitors on the important gains made by Pakistan in fighting terrorism, duly manifested in the improved security situation in Pakistan.
Fatemi stressed that the upbeat assessments on Pakistan’s economic performance and prospects by international agencies and institutions and growing investor interest and confidence in Pakistan was a reflection of sound economic policies pursued by the government over the past four years.
Syed Tariq Fatemi also hosted a launched in honour of the US officials following the meeting.
