WASHINGTON: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Syed Tariq Fatemi, highlighting the strategic significance of Pakistan, urged the United States to view the country independently rather than through any foreign or regional lens.
The special assistant, addressing a prominent American think tank Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, during his US visit, also emphasized the need for deeper Pak-US economic relations and enhanced US investment.
Tariq Fatemi is visiting London, New York and Washington, where he has held bilateral meetings. He met the Secretary General of the Commonwealth in London and held important meetings with key leaders of US Congress in the United States.
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Highlighting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s efforts to boost trade and investment, he mentioned key economic achievements, including a significant reduction in inflation, successful staff-level negotiations with the IMF, and a $20 billion World Bank package for Pakistan.
He pointed out that terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan had been fanning terrorism in Pakistan. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to regional peace, underscoring the challenges posed by the neighbouring countries.
SAPM Fatemi apprised the gathering of the advantages of Pakistan-China bilateral economic cooperation, particularly the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) for the country and the region. Highlighting the trade opportunities in Pakistan, he called for increased US investment in Pakistan’s textile industry, infrastructure, and human capital development.
He said that Pakistan was rich with immense mineral wealth and that the US companies should capitalise on the available opportunities, besides underlining the Special Investment Facilitation Council’s crucial role to facilitate the business community.
The special assistant also spoke about Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts, border control measures, and initiatives to ensure a stable environment for investors and reaffirmed that Pakistan remained a promising and profitable destination for foreign investment.
Fatemi also urged the US to support Pakistan in education, healthcare, and economic development to transform bilateral cooperation into a long-term partnership for the mutual benefit of the two nations.
Syed Tariq Fatemi said he was “very satisfied” over his talks in Washington with key US officials and Congressional leaders in what he described as the first high-level contact with the Trump administration. “I had very good response both from the State Department and at Capitol Hill– the meetings were productive,” he told UN correspondents in a news briefing at the Pakistan Mission to the United Nations on Thursday. Pakistan’s Ambassador-designate to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, was also present.
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