Wants Pakistan to expand counter-terrorism efforts: State Dept
The United States has once again stressed the need for dialogue between Pakistan and India to strengthen regional stability.
US State Department spokesman Mark Toner told a media briefing in Washington that continued dialogue is the best way to remove tensions between Pakistan and India. He said that Pakistan had been deeply affected by terrorism and also acknowledged the steps it had taken to fight the menace of terrorism.
Toner in his briefing also said the US believes Pakistan’s tensions with India are best addressed through continued dialogue. “Beyond that, they need to share information, share cooperation,” he said.
“We’ve been very clear that India and Pakistan need dialogue. They need to continue to discuss with each other their mutual concerns about security and that they need greater engagement, because frankly, better dialogue, improved dialogue, greater cooperation between those two countries is important for the security of the entire region,” Toner said.
He described the meeting between Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and President Barack Obama as very successful and said the visit overall highlighted America’s “strong and growing relationship” with Pakistan.
He said the visit provided an opportunity to strengthen cooperation between the two countries on a range of issues, including economic growth, trade, investment, clean energy, nuclear security and regional stability.
Mark Toner said the US wants to see Pakistan’s efforts against terrorism expand.
“We want to see those efforts expand. But it’s such a complex dynamic,” Toner said. “You’ve got Afghanistan and the Taliban’s continued presence there on one side. You do have tensions with India, and those need to be addressed.”
