Dar, Rubio discuss regional peace, counterterrorism efforts

WASHINGTON: Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his US counterpart Marco Rubio on Friday discussed a wide range of issues, including regional peace and counterterrorism efforts, as they held in meeting Washington.

Dar told Rubio that Pakistan and the United States have a synergy when it comes to viewpoint and interests of the two countries for achieving regional peace.

The two foreign ministers reiterated their respective country’s resolve to promote bilateral relations and keep working on developing a strong and organised collaboration in different sectors.

It was first face-to-face meeting between the two foreign ministers, although they have had telephonic conversations, especially during the Pakistan-India war, on several occasions.

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The high-profile planned interaction saw Rubio praising Pakistan’s contributions towards counterterrorism and said Islamabad had always played a positive role to achieve global and regional peace.

Using the opportunity, Dar mentioned President Donald Trump and the US leadership for their focus on achieving peace in the world.

To prove his point, he recalled Trump’s role in brokering a ceasefire between Pakistan and India after a four-day war — an achievement that the US president mentions on every possible occasion.

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TRADE TALKS

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the US Rizwan Akhtar Sheikh and other senior officials accompanied Dar, who is also the country’s deputy prime minister, during the delegation-level talks.

The two sides deliberated upon the Pakistan-US relations and explored the avenues of possible cooperation between the two countries in different sectors.

In this respect, Dar and Rubio focused on promoting bilateral trade, investment, agriculture, technology, minerals and other fields.

Meanwhile, the foreign minister expressed the hope that there would positive progress in the ongoing trade talks between Pakistan and the US.

Pakistan is an attractive destination for the US businessmen and investors, the deputy prime minister assured Rubio.