US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday made his maiden telephone call to the freshly appointed Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and inviting him to visit the country this month.
The foreign office said that, Secretary Blinken congratulated Bhutto on assuming his office and conveyed the desire to strengthen the mutually beneficial Pakistan-US bilateral ties.
“An invitation was also extended by the Secretary of State for Pakistan’s participation in the Ministerial meeting on Global Food Security to be held in New York on 18 May 2022,” read a statement issued by the Foreign Office.
Building on the Pakistan-US cooperation in dealing with the COVID pandemic during the last two years, Secretary Blinken also invited Pakistan to the Second Global COVID Summit to be held virtually later this month.
Discussing various aspects of bilateral relations, Bilawal Bhutto stressed that Pakistan and the US have an enduring broad-based relationship.
He added that practical and continued engagement between the two countries based on mutual respect and mutual interest was crucial to encourage regional and international peace, development and security. Bilawal Bhutto stressed that Pakistan’s vision was centered on human development, regional connectivity, and a peaceful neighborhood.
Both the leaders agreed to remain in contact and enhance engagement on regional and global issues of mutual interest.
