WASHINGTON – US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert has spoken indetail over tense Pakistan US relations and the visit of secretary of StateMike Pompeo.
She has admitted that a state of tension exist in the ties of Pakistan andUnited States.
During a department press briefing in Washington, Nauert maintained that USSecretary of State Mike Pompeo had some meaningful and important meetingswith the new government of Pakistan.
“The US is looking forward to forging a relationship with that newgovernment, recognizing that there are, of course, some tensions and someareas where we – or the government can work harder,” she said.
“And so those were the types of meetings that we had and we were pleased tohave gone,” she concluded while replying to a query.
Pompeo, during his meeting with Pakistani leadership, highlighted theimportance of the Pakistan-US relationship, and underscored areas of sharedinterest, such as the expansion of two-way trade and commercial ties.
It further stated that the Secretary emphasized the important role Pakistancould play in bringing about a negotiated peace in Afghanistan, andconveyed the need for Pakistan to take sustained and decisive measuresagainst terrorists and militants threatening regional peace and stability.
“During his meeting with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar JavedBajwa, Pompeo welcomed the smooth transition of power to a new civiliangovernment stressing the importance of strong democratic institutions andalso expressed hope for deeper counter terrorism cooperation between ournations,” the statement added.
While meeting with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, he discussed thepotential for the United States and Pakistan to work together to advancejoint priorities, including regional peace and stability and emphasized thevalue of strong people-to-people ties between our nations, built on decadesof cultural and educational exchanges.