US underscores support for Pakistan in combating terrorism

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari held a telephonic conversation with United States (US) Secretary of State Antony Blinken, wherein the latter underscored US resolute support for Pakistan in combating terrorism, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

In a statement issued by US State Department, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to FM Bilawal Bhutto and expressed his continued support for the people of Pakistan as they recover from the recent devastating floods.

The statement mentioned that Secretary Blinken and FM Bilawal Zardari shared their mutual hope for a productive International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan in January and discussed the need for close coordination.

The secretary also offered condolences for lives lost in recent terrorist attacks and underscored the United States’ resolute support for Pakistan as it combats terrorism, the spokesperson added.

Earlier in an interview with a US-based television channel, FM Bilawal Bhutto said that with consistent engagement, bilateral exchanges and high-level visits, the relations between Pakistan and the United States were moving ahead positively.

The foreign minister said in the past, 90 percent of the conversation between the two countries used to be on terrorism. However, currently, 90% of the discussion takes place on economic cooperation and other areas including terrorism.

“This is a positive sign for Pakistan-US relations. We can’t change what happened in the past. We can learn from the past and engage with each other with realistic expectations,” the foreign minister remarked.

He said both countries should talk to each other instead of talking at each other. To a question, the foreign minister said Pakistan needed huge funding to rebuild the destroyed infrastructure which should be resilient to cope with any natural calamity in the future.