US urges Pakistan to prioritize economic reforms

WASHINGTON: As Pakistan seeks to clinch a fresh International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package, the United States (US) urged Pakistan to expand and prioritize economic reforms.

“Pakistan has made progress to stabilize its economy, and we support its efforts to manage its daunting debt burden,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller said.

“We encourage the government to prioritize and expand economic reforms to address its economic challenges. Our support for the country’s economic success is unwavering, and we will continue to engage with Pakistan through technical agreements, as well as through our trade and investment ties, all of which are priorities of our bilateral relationship.”

Speaking about remarks made by Indian defense minister, Miller said: “The United States is not going to get in the middle of this, but we do encourage both India and Pakistan to avoid escalation and find a resolution through dialogue.”

On Tuesday, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller had said that the United States will continue to work for freedom of expression in Pakistan.

Matthew Miller refrained from making any comments over the Saudi foreign minister’s visit to Pakistan but said that US Secretary of State spoke with Saudi FM last week to discuss de-escalation in the Middle East.

We have continued to work with Saudi Arabia not just to de-escalate tensions in the immediate term, but to work for long-term and ultimately normalization between Saudi Arabia and Israel that would provide regional peace and security for years to come, Miller said.