Pakistan-US ties renewal under way: Minister

Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said that the renewal of ties between Washington and Islamabad were under way and that the two countries would be increasing their engagement in the coming days.

"There are indications of opening up. We must remember that the bilateral ties had come to an impasse," he told the media on Tuesday at the Foreign Office.

The Minister was responding to questions about visiting US Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells, reports Dawn news.

Wells met Finance Minister Asad Umar and held delegation-level talks at the Foreign Office, which were also attended by officials from the ministries of interior and defence.

Qureshi said the inter-ministerial session went well and Wells informed the Pakistani side that senior US officials would be visiting Pakistan for talks on promoting trade and energy cooperation.

The Foreign Office, meanwhile, in a statement said that the two sides during the meeting took stock of the understanding reached between Qureshi and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to rebuild the relationship based on mutual trust and respect, Dawn news said.

The Pakistani side, it said, emphasised the need to diversify the relationship with particular focus on enhanced economic and trade cooperation and people to people contacts.

"The two sides agreed to continue efforts to promote the shared objectives of peace and stability in the region and diversify bilateral relationship," it added.

--IANS

ksk