Tag: bilateral ties

Pak PM Shehbaz to travel to Washington to meet Trump on Thursday

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is set to travel from New York to Washington to meet U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, as both sides make a renewed push to reset their bilateral relations. Shehbaz is currently in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session. According to diplomatic sources cited by The Express Tribune, he will briefly travel to Washington for the meeting and then return to New York the same day to continue his UNGA engagements.

This upcoming meeting will mark the first time the U.S. President and the Pakistani Prime Minister have met at the White House since July 2019, when former Prime Minister Imran Khan visited Washington and met President Trump. During President Joe Biden’s tenure, Pakistan was noticeably sidelined; he never held phone conversations with Pakistani prime ministers nor extended invitations to the White House.

Since President Trump took office in January, however, there has been a dramatic and unexpected shift in the Pakistan-U.S. relationship. The Trump-Shehbaz meeting comes amid a noticeable thaw in ties between Islamabad and Washington. In June, Trump held a rare one-on-one meeting with Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir at the White House, signaling a departure from the Biden administration’s frosty approach in favor of Trump’s more transactional but open style of engagement with Pakistan.

Diplomatic observers view the Shehbaz-Trump meeting as a continuation of this reset. A senior Pakistani official familiar with the process told The Express Tribune, “The optics of the army chief’s meeting in June were significant. This meeting institutionalises that opening.”

Officials in Islamabad believe the discussions will focus on a range of issues including bilateral relations, regional and international matters such as Afghanistan, counterterrorism cooperation, and trade opportunities.

Analysts caution, however, that while President Trump appears eager to engage Islamabad, the reset remains tentative.

*Note: This story has been sourced from a third-party syndicated feed. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for the dependability, trustworthiness, reliability, or accuracy of the text. Mid-day management reserves the sole right to alter, delete, or remove (without notice) content at its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever.*
https://www.mid-day.com/news/world-news/article/pakistan-prime-minister-shehbaz-sharif-to-travel-to-washington-to-meet-us-president-donald-trump-on-thursday-23595612

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Meets US Ambassador-Designate Sergio Gor To Strengthen Bilateral Ties

New York: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday met US Ambassador to India-designate Sergio Gor on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York. Both leaders expressed their commitment to further promoting the success of the bilateral relationship between India and the United States.

In a post on X, the US Special Envoy and Ambassador-designate shared that they look forward to strengthening ties between the two countries. The official post read, “U.S. Special Envoy for South and Central Asia and Ambassador Nominee to India Sergio Gor met with India’s External Affairs Minister Jaishankar on the margins of the United Nations General Assembly. They look forward to further promoting the success of the U.S.-India relationship.”

Earlier, on September 12, Sergio Gor highlighted the “deep friendship” between US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Senate confirmation hearing. He emphasised that the personal rapport between the two leaders is a key asset in strengthening the US-India strategic partnership.

Speaking before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Gor described the bond between the two world leaders as “incredible” and “unique,” underlining India’s critical role in regional and global stability.

“Our President has a deep friendship with Prime Minister Modi, which is unique. If you’ve noticed, when he goes after other nations, he tends to go after their leaders for putting us in that position and for the United States imposing those tariffs. When the President has been critical of India, he goes out of his way to compliment PM Modi. They have an incredible relationship,” Gor stated, pointing to Trump’s consistent praise for PM Modi even during recent trade tensions.

Gor, the 38-year-old Director of Presidential Personnel in the White House, also outlined his vision for the India-US relationship if confirmed as ambassador. He emphasised India’s growing strategic importance to US interests in the Indo-Pacific and beyond, noting that the bilateral relationship would remain a top priority under his tenure, should he be confirmed.

“India is a strategic partner whose trajectory will shape the region and beyond. India’s geographic position, economic growth, and military capabilities make it a cornerstone of regional stability and a critical part of promoting prosperity and advancing the security interests that our nations share. As Secretary Rubio said, India is one of the most important relationships our nation has in the world. If confirmed, I will prioritise deepening defence and security cooperation with India,” he told the committee.

*Note: Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ’s editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.*
https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/external-affairs-minister-s-jaishankar-meets-us-ambassador-designate-sergio-gor-to-strengthen-bilateral-ties

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