Karachi
Ervin Massinga, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Pakistan Affairs at the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs in the US State Department, has said that the United States has always viewed a strong, prosperous and democratic Pakistan as this is critical to U.S. interests.
Mr. Massinga was on a visit to Pakistan recently. His views have appeared in an exclusive interview carried in the February 2020 issue of Monthly SouthAsia (www.southasia.com.pk)
He describes the relationship between the United States and Pakistan as a multi-faceted one, encompassing cooperation on security, trade and investment and having close ties between the peoples of both countries.
Mr. Massinga says Prime Minister Imran Khan’s July 2019 visit to the White House demonstrated that the United States and Pakistan can work together on issues that are vital to U.S. and Pakistani national security and to peace, stability, and prosperity in South Asia. He adds that President Trump and Prime Minister Khan have agreed that there is much potential to expand the trade relationship between the U.S. and Pakistan and strides have already been made toward this goal.
Asked how Pakistan could further improve its trade relations with the USA, Mr. Massinga says that the United States is the largest export market for Pakistan’s goods and Americans were the top buyers of Pakistani products in 2019. He adds, “Trade creates jobs in both our countries, so clearly we want to see it continue to grow. To do that, we encourage Pakistan to continue with its economic reform efforts and look for ways to improve the climate for foreign businesses.”
According to Mr. Massinga, the U.S. Department of Commerce is organizing 10 Pakistani buyer delegations to the United States and five regional trade shows in 2020 to build deeper relationships between U.S. and Pakistani firms. He says these programs will correspond to the priority sectors of energy, infrastructure, agriculture, healthcare, and digital economy – areas where there is concrete, practical room to grow trade and address Pakistan’s domestic development priorities.
Mr. Massinga said in the interview that the U.S. has offered strong cooperation on integrating women into Pakistan’s economy through initiatives such as the U.S.-Pakistan Women’s Council.
Through the Council, which is a public-private partnership, Mr. Massinga says that companies such as Citigroup, PepsiCo, S&P Global, and Proctor & Gamble have made commitments to empower women and strengthen Pakistan’s economy through mentoring, hiring, supply-chain diversity initiatives, internships, and other activities.
Giving his views on Pakistan’s economic reforms, Mr. Massinga says Pakistan has the potential to become an important player in the global economy, and the U.S. has been encouraged by Prime Minister Khan’s economic reform agenda. It has also welcomed his Digital Pakistan initiative to capitalize on Pakistan’s young, tech-savvy population.
