National Security and Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz has arrived in Washington to lead Pakistan-US Strategic Dialogue with Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday, as the two countries look to finalise a blueprint aimed at bolstering future ties.
The Pakistani delegation includes Defence Minister Khawaja Asif. The US interlocutors will include senior level representatives from the Department of Energy, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, USAID, US Trade Representative and the Treasury.
The officials will work to “put together a blueprint of where we can take this relationship over the course of the next six months to a year”, a State Department official said ahead of the revived ministerial dialogue that will focus on wide-ranging economic, energy and security areas.
Meanwhile, a report in the US media saw the dialogue as offering an opportunity for the two countries to start a new chapter in their relationship, affected by years of Afghan war controversies.
The Voice of America noted that the war in Afghanistan strained the bilateral relationship. But now the US is drawing down its troops from Afghanistan, and Kerry says it’s time to resume a strategic dialogue. The broadcast service also quoted a statement of John Kerry in which he said the US is committed to a long-term relationship with Pakistan.
The US State Department officials noted on Friday that Pakistan and the United States have greatly improved their relationship since 2011.
“I think the relationship has become quite good between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. The PM had an excellent visit (in October 2013) here, a very comprehensive set of meetings,” a senior State Department official said.
Similarly, the official noted, Secretary Kerry had a good visit to Pakistan and established a good relationship with Aziz.
“So at a personal level I think people are comfortable with each other, they have gotten to know each other, and the dialogue can be very candid, a first-name basis sort of thing.”
Afghanistan will also be a major topic of discussion, amid uncertainty over the fate of bilateral security agreement between Washington and Kabul and the future of that country. But the US officials say Washington-Islamabad relations are independent of current Afghan situation.
“We have a direct bilateral economic relationship with Pakistan. We’re Pakistan’s largest market. We have an interest in Pakistan’s economic development. And we have an interest in Pakistan’s domestic security. Pakistan is a large populous, nuclear-armed nation, and it is important that its constitutional order and democratic processes continue to be strengthened. We have made a major investment in that. The Kerry-Lugar-Berman money is not tied to Afghanistan,” a senior official said.
The dialogue covers five areas of cooperation and detailed discussions at the level of working groups on energy, defense, strategic stability, economic and finance, and law enforcement and counterterrorism.
The last strategic dialogue was held in 2010. The Pakistani side is likely to call for expansion in trade ties, particularly greater access for Pakistani products in the US market.
