WASHINGTON-
The United States sees Pakistan’s prosperity as good for the region, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Heather Higginbottom said as she renewed Washington’s commitment to strong economic partnership with the South Asian country. She was speaking at a dinner, hosted by Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States Jalil Abbas Jilani in honor of National Security and Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz, who led the Strategic Dialogue with Secretary of State John Kerry earlier in the day. “Our successful discussions reflect the spirit of mutual respect which characterizes our work in this forum between our two governments,” Higginbottom noted.
The dinner was attended by top officials including Defense and Water and Power Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Secretary Defense Asif Yasin Malik, Chief of the General Staff Lt. Gen. Ishfaq Nadeem Ahmad and members of the delegation.
U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Co-chair of the Congressional Pakistan Caucus, Washington”s Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan James Dobbins, U.S. Ambassador to Pakistan Richard Olson, Deputy Special Representative Dan Feldman, and senior officials from the various departments
also attended.
In her remarks, Deputy Secretary of State said as Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has said,”we must build on convergence, and wherever there is divergence, we must work to try to minimize and remove it. This dialogue can help do just that.”
The U.S. is committed to working with Pakistan to address energy shortfalls, especially as Pakistan undertakes tough reforms, she said. The U.S. commends the tough choices that Prime Minister Sharif and his Cabinet have already made to reinvigorate Pakistans economy. Going forward, your government’s commitment to carrying out necessary reforms will help tap the enormous potential of Pakistan’s people, the deputy secretary added.
“Bilateral trade and investment are the future of the U.S.-Pakistan relationship. Pakistan is a huge emerging market for U.S. businesses and the U.S. is Pakistan’s largest trading partner. In 2012, that two-way trade was worth more than $5 billion.
“But together there is much more we can and will do to deepen this economic relationship. We see Pakistan’s prosperity as good for the Pakistani people, good for Americans, and good for the region. We have repeatedly learned that countries gain more from economic cooperation than from isolation. Central and South Asia are among the least economically interconnected regions in the world. This means there is great potential to develop mutually beneficial economic ties. In this regard, we encourage steps to increase regional trade, including with India.
Steps that increase regional trade support the New Silk Road vision of an economically integrated region.”
Speaking on the occasion, Sartaj Aziz said the two sides discussed cooperation in wide-ranging areas and rebuilding mutual trust will transform the relationship into a strategic long-term partnership.
Ambassador Jilani, earlier, welcomed the participants of the Strategic Dialogue, which marks a highpoint in his position as the country’s chief diplomat in Washington. He expressed satisfaction over the positive trajectory of the ties between the two countries.
-APP