GENEVA: Pakistan and the United States have agreed to advance practical cooperation in bilateral, regional and global issues.
An understanding to this effect came during a meeting of national security advisers of Pakistan and the United States in Geneva.
“Both sides had a positive conversation on a range of bilateral, regional, and global issues of mutual interest and agreed to advance practical cooperation on these issues,” read a statement issued by the office of NSA on Monday.
The national security advisors of Pakistan and the United States met in a first high-level face-to-face contact since the Biden administration took charge.
The meeting between Pakistani NSA Dr Moeed Yusuf and his US counterpart Jake Sullivan is being seen as significant against the backdrop of the current Afghan situation, which observers believe will determine the future of Pak-US cooperation.
The two sides are tight-lipped over the meeting and there has been no explanation as yet on why they opted for a third country for the meeting.
Moeed was only last week appointed as the NSA by the government that had abolished the office after coming into power. The meeting appears to be necessitated by the current situation in Afghanistan where there is a stalemate after little progress in the intra-Afghan talks.
The US troops withdrawal has threatened further instability, and Washington, along with other regional countries, is keen to seek a political deal before the last US soldier leaves the war-ravaged country by September 11.
In addition to bringing peace in Afghanistan, an improvement in the overall bilateral relationship is also a priority for Pakistan. It is believed that the NSA went to Geneva with a brief envisaging the country’s plan on how to expand ties with the US beyond Afghanistan.
The development comes after a top Pentagon official said Pakistan has played an important role in supporting the peace process in Afghanistan. Assistant Secretary of Defence for Indo-Pacific Affairs David F Helvey issued the statement while addressing lawmakers of the Senate Armed Services Committee in the US on Saturday.
He was responding to a question from Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, about his “assessment of Pakistan” and its intelligence agencies and the role expected by both in the future.
“Pakistan has played an important role in Afghanistan. They supported the Afghan peace process. Pakistan also has allowed us to have overflight and access to be able to support our military presence in Afghanistan,” Helvey said. He said the US will continue its conversation with Pakistan because of its support and contribution to the future of Afghanistan.
