FM Bilawal meets US Secretary of State in Washington DC

WASHINGTON, Sep 27 (SABAH): Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met the U.S. Secretary of State, Antony Blinken in Washington D.C.

The foreign minister apprised Secretary Blinken about the devastation caused by the cataclysmic floods with more than 33 million people displaced and a huge loss of lives and livelihoods. He highlighted the relief efforts of the government and people of Pakistan and thanked the U.S. government for its assistance.

The foreign minister said no country could deal with a crisis of this proportion on its own. He emphasized that Pakistan being one of the lowest emitters was ironically one of the most severely impacted by climate change.

Bilawal said that Pakistan was seeking climate Justice and looked towards its partners to assist us in recovering from this climate induced calamity.

The foreign minister said that Pakistan was committed to building back better, greener and climate resilient infrastructure in areas such as irrigation, communication, energy, agri-technology, and health. Immediate action is required to help developing countries effectively face the climate crisis.

The foreign minister underscored the historic and growing importance of Pakistan-US relationship in promoting peace, security, and economic prosperity in the region. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to deepening and broadening its ties with the U.S. particularly in the areas of trade and investment and underlined that both countries were celebrating 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in a befitting manner and were charting a promising and mutually-beneficial roadmap for their future generations.

Secretary Blinken expressed sincere condolences and solidarity with Pakistan over the loss of precious lives and monumental economic losses. He reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to continue cooperating with Pakistan in meeting the challenges of rehabilitation and reconstruction. Secretary Blinken also maintained that, given Pakistan’s enormous potential, US private sector would like to invest in Pakistan including in energy sector.

The foreign minister expressed the need to assist Afghanistan in averting the humanitarian crisis and underlined that Pakistan would continue to work with the international community to achieve peace, development, and stability in Afghanistan. Secretary Blinken also thanked Pakistan for its support during the Afghan evacuation process.

On the sidelines of a ceremony to celebrate 75th Anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and the U.S., at the State Department, Secretary Blinken announced additional $10 million for the flood victims. The foreign minister thanked him for the gesture.