WASHINGTON: The Deputy National Security Adviser at the White House Ben Rhodes has said that the United States’ relations with Pakistan and India are not at expense of the other.
“It’s important that we make clear, and the [US] President did last time when he went to India [in 2010], that we don’t view these relationships as taking place at the expense of the other. That we can have a good relationship with India and we can have a good relationship with Pakistan,” Ben Rhodes was quoted as saying by media.
The US President Barack Obama will undertake an official visit to India on January 25, his second as the US president while first after Narendra Modi-led government was formed in New Delhi.
During his visit, Obama will participate in the Indian Republic Day celebrations and talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Talking to newsmen in Washington, the Deputy National Security Adviser said that the relationship between the US and Pakistan is now on an upward trajectory with growing confidence in high-level engagement.
“We believe that that relationship (with Pakistan) is on the uptick. It is as good as it has been in years. So we feel confident about our high-level engagement,” Rhodes said.
Ben Rhodes said the US-Pakistan relationship will be one of the subjects to come up under discussion during Obama’s visit to India.
The adviser said that the United States encourages dialogue between Pakistan and India for resolution of outstanding issues.
