Khawaja Asif invited by Trump’s aide to visit Washington

ISLAMABAD: A foreign policy aide of US President Donald Trump has extended invitation to Pakistan’s newly-appointed Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif to visit Washington.

According to Foreign Office, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson spoke to Asif during a telephonic conversation and invited him to the US capital in first such high level contact.

In response, Asif also extended an invitation to Secretary Tillerson to visit Pakistan. The FO statement says Secretary Tillerson accepted the invitation.

Tillerson called his Pakistani counterpart to congratulate him on Independence Day but the two foreign policy wizards also used the opportunity to discuss the state of bilateral ties as well as the current regional security situation.

“He [Tillerson] conveyed the best wishes on behalf of the US government and the American people to the government and people of Pakistan,” read the Foreign Office statement.

He also congratulated Asif on assumption of office as foreign minister of Pakistan and expressed his desire to work with him for achieving common objectives.

The foreign minister thanked Tillerson and said the call on Pakistan’s 70th Independence Day was an apt reminder of the long history of relations between the two countries.

He said the US had been a partner in Pakistan’s journey of development, both in the socio-economic and defence sector. He said he would strive in his new capacity to strengthen partnership with the US.

Asif said Pakistan would benefit the most if peace and stability was achieved in Afghanistan as success and sustainability of Pakistan’s economic reforms depended upon a peaceful and stable Afghanistan.

He expressed Pakistan’s willingness to work with the US once the policy review on Afghanistan is unveiled. He emphasised a political settlement of the conflict in the Afghanistan as the common objective of Pakistan and the US.