Ties with US 'important' for Pakistan, says Islamabad

ISLAMABAD

Pakistan on Friday said its relations with the US are "important," and Islamabad wants to further strengthen ties with Washington.

Interaction with Washington "continues at multiple levels, and it's ongoing," Foreign Ministry spokesman Shafqat Ali Khan said during a news conference in Islamabad.

Ties with the US "remain very important for us," he said in response to a question by Anadolu.

Islamabad is "committed to pursuing, engaging with the new administration to further solidify and strengthen Pakistan-US relations," he said, referring to the new Donald Trump administration, which took office last month.

He said Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar is set to visit New York next week to attend the high-level meeting of the UN Security Council.

Dar is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi and other officials during his stay in the US, Khan added.

The spokesman also pointed out a reference to Pakistan in a US-India joint statement issued after President Donald Trump hosted Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington on Thursday.

"It is one-sided and misleading and contrary to diplomatic norms," said Khan. "We are surprised that the reference has been added to the joint statement; notwithstanding Pakistan's counterterrorism cooperation with the United States, such references cannot cover up India's sponsorship of terrorism."

Khan said that Pakistan was also "deeply concerned" over the planned transfer of advanced military technologies to India by the US.

"Such steps accentuate military imbalances in the region and undermine strategic stability. They remain unhelpful in achieving the objective of a durable peace in South Asia," he said.

The statement came after US President Donald Trump hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington for summit-level talks on Thursday.

Washington will increase military supplies to India, Trump said, adding that the US will also provide India with F-35 stealth fighter jets.

"We urge our international partners to take a holistic and objective view of the issues of peace and security in South Asia and refrain from endorsing positions that are one-sided and divorced from ground realities," said spokesman Khan in Islamabad.

Pakistan opposes Netanyahu remarks on Palestine

Reacting to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statement suggesting the establishment of a Palestinian state in Saudi Arabia, the spokesman strongly condemned it, calling it "irresponsible, provocative, and thoughtless."

Netanyahu’s statement is "offending, undermining, and disregarding the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people to self-determination and an independent state on their own historical and legitimate territory," he added.

"Pakistan stands in solidarity with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia," said Khan.

Referring to the just-concluded two-day trip to Pakistan by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Khan said the visit was "very successful."

Erdogan paid a two-day visit to Pakistan on Wednesday and held meetings with Pakistani leaders and also co-chaired the seventh meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Islamabad.