U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that the United States sees an opportunity to expand its strategic partnership with Pakistan, and that the recent improvement in relations between the two countries has not come at the expense of Washington’s relationship with India.
During a press briefing in Washington on Saturday, Rubio was asked if India had any concerns about the growing relationship between the United States and Pakistan.
“No, nothing special happened,” he replied. We know that they are concerned because there have been historical disputes between Pakistan and India. But they should understand that we have to have relations with different countries. ”
“We see an opportunity to expand our strategic partnership with Pakistan,” Rubio said. Our job is to see with which countries we can work on common interests. The Indian government is very firm in diplomacy. They also have some relationships that we don’t have. It’s part of a realistic foreign policy. What we are doing with Pakistan does not go against our deep and historic friendship with India. ”
A journalist questioned whether the recent improvement in US-Pakistan relations was due to Islamabad’s recognition of President Donald Trump’s role in avoiding a possible war with India.
“I think he appreciated that,” Rubio responded. When you work with someone, you start to understand each other better. But even before this conflict, we had approached Pakistan. We said we want a new partnership in which we can move forward on shared interests. ”
He added that the United States is aware of the challenges facing India, but the goal is to explore potential opportunities. “We have a long-standing partnership with Pakistan in the field of counter-terrorism, and now we want this relationship to go beyond that. Although there are difficulties, these relationships are improving, and they are not going to anyone’s detriment. ”
Earlier this month, a Dawn report said that Pakistan and the United States were entering a new phase of their economic and strategic partnership. Both the countries are close to executing an agreement for export of rare minerals.
The improvement in relations was evident when Pakistan acknowledged the role of President Trump, who helped end the four-day standoff between Pakistan and India.
Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir paid a five-day official visit to Washington in June, where he met President Trump for lunch. He is the first serving Pakistani army chief to meet a sitting US president directly.
Later in August, Field Marshal Munir returned to the United States and described the visit as “a new aspect of the relationship”.
In September, he met President Trump on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly session with Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif. During the meeting, issues such as regional security and counter-terrorism were discussed.
President Trump later thanked Prime Minister Shahbaz and “my favourite” Field Marshal Munir, who played a role in the ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
Earlier in the day, he described the two leaders as “great people” and said he would resolve the recent conflict between Pakistan and Afghanistan “very soon”.
In September, US Strategic Metals (USSM) signed an agreement with Pakistan to invest about $500 million in mineral processing and development projects in the country.
The company recently shipped its first consignment of mineral samples to the United States, which include antimony, copper concentrate, and rare earth elements such as neodymium and presidium.
In a statement, the company called the shipment “a milestone in the Pakistan-US strategic partnership” and said the agreement lays the foundation for a road map for cooperation across the entire mineral value chain.
