At the start of his visit to the United States, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi Sunday said Pakistan desires to foster close relations with both the United States and China as Islamabad considers both ties vital.
The foreign minister said “both relations are very important.”
“China is important for Pakistan. And the United States is also important. We will engage with both,” he said during an interaction with Pakistani origin media representatives at the country’s embassy.
The foreign minister said he looks forward to discussing relations with the top U.S. diplomat and find out convergences.
At the Press briefing, he was pointedly asked about the future of Pakistan’s relations with the U.S. and China.
With China, Pakistan is engaged in a very important economic relationship, Qureshi noted in reference to massive China Pakistan Economic Corridor that connects China to the oil-rich Gulf countries.
With the United States, the foreign minister, Pakistan is engaged to help bring peace to the region.
Therefore, he said, Pakistan will take forward its relations with both the United States and China.
Photo: Press Information department
He said the Imran Khan administration’ s foreign policy is anchored on the principle of safeguarding the country’s national interests.
He also told Washington-based Pakistani journalists that Islamabad wants peace and security in Afghanistan since it is in the country’s own interests. Pakistan, he said, will use “whatever influence” it has to push forward Afghan reconciliation talks.
“We need peace in Afghanistan. This is what Pakistan needs,” Qureshi said, seated beside Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Ali Jehangir Siddiqui.
During his visit to the United States during which he will address the UN General Assembly session in New York and also meet U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
The foreign minster’s comments come in the wake of Secretary Pompeo’s visit to Pakistan, during which he said the U.S. wanted to reset its relations with Pakistan. The relations between the two countries suffered a spate of setbacks after the Trump Administration’s statements implicated Pakistan for the precarious security situation in Afghanistan and suspended security assistance.
Islamabad has denied the charge that it allows Afghan Taliban to operate from its territory.
However, Qureshi said it would be wrong to pin blame for the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan on Pakistan as establishing peace in Afghanistan is a shared responsibility.
“Pakistan is committed to fulfilling its responsibility to restore peace in Afghanistan. But is it Pakistan’s responsibility alone to secure Afghanistan? Are there no other countries in the region that have interest and clout there?”
![By Umargondal (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.viewsnews.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Gwadar_port-1-1024x768.jpg)
Gwadar deepsea port is part of China Pakistan Corridor, image credit: Umargondal/ Wikimedia Commons
At the same time, the foreign minister argued that Afghanistan has to connect with its own people.
He also highlighted Pakistan’s pivotal role in downgrading al-Qaeda threat to American security, and said Pakistani nation has offered huge sacrifices in the fight against terrorists.
There is a consensus in Pakistan that the country should fight terrorism, he said, adding that it is in Pakistan’s interest to fight terror.
“If the U.S. is safe today, Pakistan has played an important role. toward that end.”
![By Umargondal (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](https://www.viewsnews.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Gwadar_port-1.jpg)
