US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would be visiting Pakistan on September 5, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi confirmed, terming the visit significant for Pakistan-US bilateral relations.
The top diplomat in US President Donald Trump’s administration, Pompeo will reportedly arrive in Islamabad on September 5 for a brief stay while en route to India.
Pompeo and PM Imran Khan are likely to discuss bilateral relations and matters of mutual interest during the meeting.
The confirmation of the visit raises hope for fresh talks between Islamabad and Washington despite initial misunderstanding about a phone call between Pompeo and Imran after he took office. Islamabad termed Washington’s account of the discussion “factually incorrect” and denied that there was any discussion on militants operating in Pakistan. The US, meanwhile, defended its version saying, “We stand by our readout”.
Despite the confusion over the phone call, the US Secretary of State’s decision to visit Islamabad as the first foreign dignitary after formation of the new government reflects the significance Washington attaches to engaging with Pakistan’s new leadership.
“There have been ups and downs but it is a vital relationship,” Qureshi said on Friday. He said that Pompeo, in his phone call, sought a productive bilateral relationship.
“The conversation between the secretary of state and the Prime Minister of Pakistan, you will be surprised to know ... was very good. Not only he [Pompeo] felicitated the prime minister, but expressed his desire to seek a constructive engagement with the new [Pakistani] government,” Qureshi said adding that the US looks forward to “productive bilateral relations” with Pakistan.
Qureshi also held a meeting with the outgoing US ambassador to Pakistan, David Hale, in Islamabad.
Congratulating Hale on his next assignment as undersecretary for political affairs at the Department of State, Qureshi expressed hope that Hale would be able to play a positive role in strengthening Pak-US bilateral relations and for regional peace and prosperity given he had a better understanding of Pakistan and the region.
During the farewell call, the outgoing ambassador hoped relations between the two countries would improve further after the visit of Pompeo to Pakistan.
Qureshi for his part highlighted the importance of longstanding relations with the United States in his recent media briefing, saying he looks forward to welcoming the US Secretary of State in Islamabad.
_resources1_16a3106a819_small.jpg)
