ISLAMABAD: Pakistan yesterday underscored the need to further bolster ties with the United States in 2024, carrying forward the momentum gained during the past year.

The commitment was renewed in a meeting between Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani and US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald Blome yesterday. Jilani and Blome held discussions focusing on some major aspects of bilateral relations including the recent visit of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir to the United States, according to an official statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The interim foreign minister underlined that in 2024 both countries should continue to build on recent exchanges and the momentum gained in the ties. Blome, in his meeting with Pakistan’s top diplomat, discussed a wide range of important bilateral issues, including expanded diplomatic engagement, the safe and efficient processing of Afghan citizens eligible for resettlement to the US, as well as other issues of mutual interest, the US Mission Acting Spokesperson Thomas Montgomery said in a statement.

Last month, Gen Munir had paid his maiden two-day visit as army chief to the US, where he met key political and military personalities to discuss potential areas of bilateral and regional cooperation.

The COAS had also met US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon where he discussed regional security developments and potential areas for bilateral defence cooperation. The US Department of State spokesperson, amid COAS Munir’s visit, stated that Pakistan was an important partner and “we engage with a wide range of interlocutors within the Pakistani government”.

Published in The Daily National Courier, January, 03 2024

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