THE US on Tuesday said that “democratic principles and respect for the rule of law” were central to the Pak-US relationship and the values would continue to guide this bilateral partnership forward. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said after his telephone call to Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari that Washington supported a productive, democratic and prosperous partnership with Pakistan.
As pointed out by Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, the two leaders noted the positive momentum in bilateral relations and agreed to remain constructively engaged to promote peace, security and development. Political developments and realities notwithstanding, the fact remains Pakistan’s economy gains much due to closer interaction with the United States as it is a valuable destination for exports and significant source of remittances by overseas Pakistanis and investment. Pakistan has an abiding interest in forging closer economic ties with the United States but unfortunately the true potential for an economic partnership remains untapped mainly because of differences on geo-political developments in the region and beyond. It was in this backdrop that Foreign Minister Bilawal underlined the priority attached to the economic and trade relations and Pakistan’s particular interest in advancing cooperation on climate change and green energy. It is encouraging that Secretary Blinken reciprocated the sentiments of his Pakistani counterpart by underscoring Washington’s steadfast commitment to the people of Pakistan, highlighting that the “economic success of Pakistan remains a top priority” for the United States. We hope that differences of opinion on some regional and global geo-political issues would not be allowed to hinder progress on the agreed goal of forging economic ties.
