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Pakistan and US finalising trade deal, foreign minister says

Pakistan and US finalising trade deal, foreign minister says

The National3 days ago
Islamabad will soon finalise a trade deal with Washington, Pakistan's Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Friday. Pakistan is seeking reprieve from the 29 per cent 'reciprocal' tariffs initially imposed by the Trump administration. 'We are very close to finalising a deal with the US,' Mr Dar, who also serves as Deputy Prime Minister, said at an Atlantic Council event, noting that an agreement was expected within days. 'Our teams have been here in Washington discussing, having virtual meetings, and a committee has been tasked by the Prime Minister to fine tune [a deal]". Mr Dar earlier met Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department. 'The Secretary underscored the importance of expanding mutually beneficial bilateral trade and exploring prospects for enhancing collaboration in the critical minerals and mining sectors,' the State Department said in a statement. Relations between Islamabad and Washington have been showing signs of improvement in recent months, with President Donald Trump inviting Pakistan's army chief Asim Munir for rare talks at the White House. Mr Dar's visit is a sign of Pakistan's growing influence in the multilateral arena as well as in its relations with the US, the foreign office said in a statement on July 19.
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