Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will visit White House on October 23 at the invitation of US President Barack Obama The White House issued a statement on Thursday saying Obama will welcome Nawaz for broad-ranging talks. The statement was released as Secretary of State John Kerry met with the prime minister in New York, where Nawaz is heading a delegation to the 68th session of the United Nations General Assembly. The White House spokesman said the visit would “highlight the importance and resilience of the US-Pakistan relationship and provide an opportunity for us to strengthen cooperation on issues of mutual concern, such as energy, trade and economic development, regional stability, and countering violent extremism.” “The president looks forward to discussions with Prime Minister Sharif on ways the US can advance shared interest of a stable, secure, and prosperous Pakistan,” it added. According to the Foreign Ministry spokesman, during Kerry’s call on the Pakistani leader, the two sides reviewed the state of bilateral relationship and agreed to intensify the engagements in the coming weeks and months to further expand and deepen bilateral cooperation in all areas. It was also agreed to convene meetings of the various Working Groups under the revived Strategic Dialogue mechanism. Nawaz noted that improvement in security, revival of economy and overcoming the energy crisis were the key priorities of his government. The prime minister also emphasised that greater trade between Pakistan and the US would contribute to the economic prosperity of the people of Pakistan and help in evolving a mutually beneficial relationship between the two countries. Kerry said the US leader would welcome Nawaz to the White House next month for talks on bilateral relations.This high-level interaction, Secretary Kerry stressed, would provide the necessary impetus to move towards a long term Pakistan-US engagement.The prime minister’s first visit to Washington takes place in the wake of improvement in US-Pakistan ties, which nosedived in 2011.
