Rubio lauds Pakistan's anti-terror role, vows deeper ties in meeting with FM Dar
The remarks came during his first in-person meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar, who is on an official visit to the United States.
During the meeting, both sides reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation across multiple sectors, including agriculture, minerals, and digital technology.
The delegation-level talks were attended by senior officials from both sides, including Pakistan's Ambassador to the U.S., Rizwan Saeed Sheikh.
Dar received a warm welcome upon arrival and appreciated the U.S. leadership's efforts toward peace. He highlighted Pakistan's potential as an investment destination and reiterated the importance of deepening trade and technology collaboration.
The deputy prime minister is also scheduled to speak at the US think tank, The Atlantic Council, sharing Pakistan's perspective on regional and global issues as well as the future of Pak-US relations.
Pakistan's Ambassador to the US, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, and senior embassy officials received Dar at the train station in the US capital.
Reciprocal tariff: Pakistan officials to meet Trump administration, Bloomberg reports
During his week-long visit, Dar attended high-level signature events of Pakistan's UN Security Council (UNSC) presidency in New York, while he met UN Secretary General António Guterres, on the sidelines of the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development, as well.
A day ago, Bloomberg, quoting US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce as saying, reported that a Pakistani delegation will soon meet the administration of US President Donald Trump in a bid to reach an agreement on a trade deal.
In a US Department of State press briefing on Wednesday, Bruce said she will attend the meeting between the Pakistani delegation and US officials.
Islamabad is looking forward to the 29% reciprocal tariffs to be lifted that the Trump administration initially levied, Bloomberg said. The South Asian country has proposed to increase imports of soybeans and cotton, while it is already the second-largest buyer of US cotton by value, after China. Whereas, Pakistan's biggest export destination is the United States.
Bilateral ties between Pakistan and US have improved in recent times, with Trump's holding a rare meeting with Field Marshal Asim Munir at the White House.
The FO stated on July 19 that FM Dar's visit is an indication of Pakistan's increasing importance in both its relations with the US and the global landscape.
Moreover, in order to complete a trade agreement, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has also visited the United States and met with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington recently to advance economic cooperation, as per the Ministry of Finance.
Reuters last week reported that the negotiations, focused on reciprocal tariffs, are part of a broader push to reset economic ties at a time of shifting geopolitical alignments and Pakistan's efforts to avoid steep US duties on exports.
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