ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is expected to visit the United States this month to attend a ministerial conference and also hold a bilateral meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
Blinken invited Bilawal to attend the Food Security Conference scheduled for May 19 in New York. He also extended an invitation to the foreign minister for the US Global Covid summit the US is hosting on May 12 which Bilawal will address virtually.
The visit to the United States will be followed closely against the backdrop of the change of government in Pakistan and the ouster of prime minister Imran Khan. The ties between both countries deteriorated after Imran Khan accused the US of conspiring to remove him from power.
DG ISI’s visit
Ahead of the visit. Pakistan and the United States completed their security level talks in Washington. Inter-Services Intelligence Director-General (DG ISI) Lt-Gen Nadeem Anjum spent three days in Washington, meeting senior security officials, including US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and CIA Director William J. Burns.
Neither side disclosed the details of these meetings but they are expected to have focused on bilateral security concerns and the situation in Afghanistan.
A week ago Secretary Blinken recently spoke to Bilawal over the phone for nearly an hour and expressed the desire for deepening cooperation with Pakistan. FM Bilawal also sought to improve ties with Washington based on equality and mutual respect.
US State Dept
During a briefing on Tuesday, US State Department spokesperson Ned Price was asked whether US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will have a one-on-one meeting with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in New York.
Price said, “I don’t have any bilateral meetings to preview during the next week’s food security gathering.” However, he said that Blinken had an opportunity to speak with his new Pakistani counterpart last week, saying they reflected on the 75th anniversary of US-Pakistan relations and talked about how to strengthen that cooperation going forward.
“It is a broad-based bilateral relationship,” Price said, adding that Blinken underscored “the resolute US-Pakistan commitment to Afghan stability and to combating terrorism as well.”
Price added, “They also discussed ongoing engagement when it comes to our economic ties, trade, investment, climate, energy, health and education.”
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