WASHINGTON: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari told Dawn on Friday that Pakistan and the United States will hold talks next month to look into the possibility of coordinating their efforts to fight terrorism.
The foreign minister had a separate meeting with US State Department counselor Derek Chollet while he was in Washington for the annual prayer breakfast. During that meeting, Chollet reassured the foreign minister that “the US stands with Pakistan in combating terrorism for the safety of all.”
After the meeting, Mr. Chollet tweeted that he “discussed progress toward Pakistan’s economic stability and flood recovery” and offered his sincere condolences to the Pakistani foreign minister for the recent bombing in Peshawar.
Additionally, Mr. Bhutto-Zardari stated to Dawn that the talks centered on “terrorism and Pakistan’s efforts” to recover from the devastating floods of last summer.
He stated, “We are thankful for the support we received from the US.” not only for bilateral support but also to help support the Geneva conference.”
The U.S. stands with Pakistan in combating terrorism for the safety of all. Expressed my deep condolences to Foreign Minister @BBhuttoZardari about the recent bombing in Peshawar & discussed progress towards Pakistan’s economic stability and flood recovery. pic.twitter.com/KkzT0wmwUU
— Derek Chollet (@CounselorDOS) February 2, 2023
Pakistan and the United Nations co-hosted a one-day conference in Geneva last month. At the conference, Pakistan asked for help from other nations to help it rebuild and get back on its feet. At the conference, Pakistan raised approximately $9 billion, which is at least a billion more than it had requested, and it is believed that the United States assisted Pakistan in reaching this goal.
Mr. Bhutto-Zardari said that when he went to Washington at the end of last year, he was worried about getting money for Pakistan’s flood recovery programs. However, the Americans “really helped, not just bilaterally,” he said, and they also encouraged other countries and donors to help.
The foreign minister stated the following regarding the counterterrorism conference that will be held next month: Not only is terrorism becoming a problem for Pakistan, but for other nations as well. During his trip to Moscow last week, he claimed that he also discussed the matter with officials from Russia.
He stated, “We, once again, need international coordination to fight terrorism.” Why shouldn’t the forces fighting terrorism do the same? Terrorists coordinate their actions.
We have to deal with the TTP in Pakistan. ETIM raises concerns for China. Al Qaeda is a concern for the United States, while other groups are also of interest to Russians. Additionally, they must all coordinate their efforts, he stated. Engagement will benefit from the CT dialogue.
He said that next month, Pakistan and the United States would also talk about reducing poverty, controlling drugs, and other things.
The foreign minister responded to a question about his trip to Russia by saying, We discussed numerous topics in depth, including energy. He stated that “old and new proposals for purchasing oil and gas from Russia” were discussed by both parties. He responded, “The energy conversation is ongoing, it has not matured yet,” when asked whether Pakistan was close to concluding an oil deal with Russia.
He stated that the energy cooperation talks with Russia were looking into the short-term and long-term options for purchasing oil from Moscow.
He stated, “There are technical things that need to be sorted out first.” “Our desire is that we get oil from Russia at the same rate that India does.” Therefore, it is premature to discuss a deal.
The Pakistani foreign minister and Jordan’s King Abdullah gave speeches at the luncheon, which was attended by a lot of delegates. Mr. Bhutto-Zardari stated, “King Abdullah spoke very well.” They also played a video of my mother.
The foreign minister stated that on March 8, he would travel back to the United States to attend a global conference on Muslim women at the UN headquarters in New York.
He stated that the conference also “serves as a strong message to them that the Muslim world is not where they are” in light of the events in Afghanistan.
Prayer breakfast speech
According to a press release that was released on Friday by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he emphasized the role that faith and prayer play in one’s life, both individually and collectively as a global community, in his prayer breakfast speech.
Pleased to attend the National Prayer Breakfast, honored to speak at the international luncheon along with Queen Rania of Jordan on need for interfaith harmony and the power of faith as a force of unity. Grateful to the organizers for honoring my mother Shaheed Benazir Bhutto. pic.twitter.com/xRWTP2DWvE
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) February 3, 2023
The foreign minister emphasized the need to reaffirm the belief in the significance of compassion and empathy in addressing global issues and referred to numerous challenges that the world currently faces.
