LAHORE: During a meeting with Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday, United States (US) Secretary of State Rex Tillerson acknowledged the importance of Pakistan for achieving goals regarding security and peace in the region.
US Secretary of State met with PM Abbasi after arriving earlier in Islamabad as part of his tour to South Asia and the Gulf region.
During the meeting, Tillerson asserted, “[Pakistan is] so important regionally to our joint goals of providing peace and security to the region and providing opportunity for greater economic relationship”.
Abbasi reconfirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the war on terror saying, “We are committed in the war against terror”.
“We have produced results and we are looking forward to moving ahead with the U.S. and building a tremendous relationship,” he added.
PM Abbasi further said, “The US can rest assured that we are strategic partners in the war against terror and that today Pakistan is fighting the largest war in the world against terror”.
The meeting was also attended by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, DG ISI Lt General Naveed Mukhtar, Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif, Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal and Defence Minister Khurram Dastagir.
Tillerson met with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the Bagram Airbase after he landed in Afghanistan on a surprise visit, Monday.
Addressing the media there, Tillerson said he will pressure Islamabad to take action on the support Taliban and other “terrorist organisations” receive in the country.
Islamabad needed to “take a clear-eyed view of the situation that they are confronted with in terms of the number of terrorist organisations that find safe haven inside” the country, he told reporters, according to a pool report.
“We want to work closely (with) Pakistan to create a more stable and secure Pakistan as well,” Tillerson said.
Tillerson’s unannounced visit follows one of the bloodiest weeks in Afghanistan in recent memory, with more than 200 people killed in multiple attacks on security installations and mosques across the country.
Following his visit, Tillerson headed to Iraq after which he will arrive in Pakistan. He has earlier visited Saudi Arabia and Qatar as part of his regional tour.
After Pakistan, the US secretary of state will head to New Delhi and then Switzerland.
