Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has sought to strengthen mutually beneficial and broad-based relationship with the United States for human development, regional connectivity and a peaceful neighbourhood.
Talking to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who called him to congratulate him on assumption of the office of the Foreign Minister, Bilawal said that constructive and sustained engagement between the two countries on the basis of mutual respect and mutual interest was vital to promote peace, development and security in the region and beyond.
During the telephonic conversation, Blinken invited Bilawal to a food security meeting scheduled to be held at the UN headquarters in New York on May 18.
The US Secretary of State expressed the desire to continue strengthening mutually beneficial Pakistan-US bilateral relationship.
Exchanging views on various aspects of Pakistan-US relations, Foreign Minister Bilawal underscored that Pakistan and the United States have a longstanding broad-based relationship.
Building on the Pakistan-US cooperation in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic during the last two years, Secretary Blinken also invited Pakistan to the second global covid summit to be held virtually later this month.
The Foreign Minister and the Secretary of State agreed to remain in contact and enhance engagement on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
This was the first telephonic conversation between the new foreign minister and the US Secretary of State in nine months. The last time Blinken spoke to Shah Mehmood Qureshi in August 2021 when the US-led foreign forces were withdrawing from Afghanistan.
Secretary Blinken’s telephone call to Bilawal came amid incessant allegations from former Prime Minister Imran Khan that the US conspired with opposition parties in Pakistan to topple his government. The US has categorically rejected Imran Khan’s allegations stating that the former always sought to and supported the democratic process in Pakistan.
