Monitoring Desk: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi spoke with Republican Senator James Risch on the sidelines of his United Nations-related engagements in New York. Senator Risch is the Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The Foreign Minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s desire for a broad-based, strategic partnership with the United States that would advance the two countries’ shared interests in the bilateral and regional spheres.
The Foreign Minister highlighted Pakistan’s commitment to facilitating efforts for achieving an inclusive political settlement in Afghanistan. He stressed the importance of a stable and broad-based government in Afghanistan to ensuring that Afghan territory is not exploited by transnational terrorist groups ever again.
Foreign Minister Qureshi noted that while it was important to hold the Taliban to their commitments, the international community must help the Afghan people deal with the growing humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan.
Senator Risch agreed with the Foreign Minister on the need for continued cooperation between the two countries for peace in Afghanistan.
