US, Pakistan vow to cooperate on bilateral issues

WASHINGTON: The US and Pakistan have vowed to cooperate on a full range of bilateral issues, including counter-terrorism, economy and regional issues, amidst differences over several matters including CIA drone strikes.

Deputy Secretary of State William Burns met new Pakistani Ambassador Jalil Abbas Jilani and "underscored" that both the sides "look forward to deepening these discussions" during the upcoming Strategic Dialogue Ministerial.

The meeting comes after the bilateral ties have seen "new vigour and momentum" following the visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Washington in October last year. Burns welcomed Jilani in his new role as Ambassador and noted that "we look forward to continuing our productive working relationship", a State Department statement said. As Foreign Secretary from 2012 to 2013, Jilani worked closely with the United States during a critical time in their bilateral relationship.

"Conveying the greetings of the Government and people of Pakistan to Deputy Secretary Burns, Ambassador Jilani exchanged views on the state of play in the bilateral relations which has seen new vigor and momentum after the visit of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to Washington in October last year," the Pakistan Embassy here said in a statement.

The former foreign secretary, Jilani arrived in Washington in the last week of December and presented copies of his credentials to Natalie Jones, the Acting Chief of Protocol at the State Department on January 2. Jilani was appointed as Pakistan's Ambassador to Washington in October shortly before the US visit of Sharif.