PM Shehbaz reaffirms desire to work with Trump administration

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reiterated that Pakistan desired to work with President Trump and his Administration to strengthen bilateral relations with the United States.

The prime minister said this in a meeting with a US delegation, led by Eric Meyer, Senior Bureau Official and Acting Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at US Department of State, which paid a courtesy call on him.

The delegation is visiting Pakistan to attend the two-day Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum being held here on Apr 8-9.

The prime minister welcomed US participation at the Forum and emphasized that Pakistan’s minerals sector presented immense opportunities, encouraging US companies to invest in that priority sector.

He underscored the significance of Pakistan-US relations not only in the bilateral context but also for regional peace and security as well as enhanced cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including trade and investment and counter-terrorism.

Acting Assistant Secretary Meyer congratulated Pakistan on successfully hosting the Pakistan Mineral Investment Forum.

He acknowledged the potential of Pakistan’s mineral sector and conveyed the interest of the US companies in investing in the minerals sector. He also expressed the US desire to work with Pakistan on issues of shared interest.

Meyer said that the US looked forward to enhancing bilateral ties with Pakistan.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Division Ahad Khan Cheema, Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik, SAPM Tariq Fatemi and other high-level government officials also attended the meeting.