US Ambassador Donald Armin Blome presents his credentials to President Dr Arif Alvi - Photo President's Secretariat
President Alvi Emphasizes Sustained Engagement with US
By Nausheen Yusuf
Islamabad: The newly appointed envoys of the United States of America (USA), Turkiye, Australia, European Union (EU), Bhutan, and Sudan presented their credentials to President Dr Arif Alvi in a ceremony at the Aiwan-e-Sadr.
Following the presentation of the credentials, US Ambassador Donald Armin Blome, Turkish Ambassador Dr Mehmet Pacaci, Australian High Commissioner Neil Hawkins, EU Ambassador Riina Kionka, Sudanese Ambassador Salih Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed Siddig, and non-resident Ambassador of Bhutan Rinchen Kuentsyl separately called on the president.
Talking to the US ambassador, the president emphasized that a constructive and sustained engagement between the two countries on the principles of mutual respect and mutual interest was vital to promote peace, development and security in the region.
He said that this year would mark the 75th anniversary of the establishment of Pak-USA diplomatic ties which would be celebrated befittingly.
The president noted that there had been a healthy momentum in engagement between Pakistan and the USA through dialogues on the climate change, health, energy, and Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA).
“We encourage US companies to invest in Pakistan and reap dividends from the lucrative benefits offered by Pakistan’s special economic zones”, he said.
President Alvi highlighted that Pakistan was actively involved in engagement with its diaspora in the USA in the tech sector and was desirous of more tech sector investments from the US companies.
Meeting with PM Sharif
Ambassador Donald Blome calls on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on July 1, 2022
The US ambassador formally began his diplomatic assignment in Islamabad with a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif soon after presenting his diplomatic credentials to the president.
Donald Blome arrived in Islamabad on May 23 but had to wait till July 1 to present his diplomatic credentials to President Arif Alvi in order to formally start his assignment. He, however, met the foreign minister and visited Karachi even before presenting his credentials.
The new ambassador takes charge at a critical juncture when the relationship between Pakistan and the US is under stress given the divergent interests. There have been concerns in Pakistan that with the exit of the US from Afghanistan last year and its close ties with India, Washington may not seek a long-term relationship with Islamabad.
Against this backdrop, the meeting between Premier Shehbaz and the US envoy was seen as significant.
An official handout issued by the PM Office said Shehbaz congratulated the ambassador on his presentation of credentials and expressed the hope that the ambassador would devote his efforts to deepening and enhancing bilateral ties between the US and Pakistan.
In this context, the prime minister highlighted the historic, longstanding ties between the two countries and underscored Pakistan’s desire to further develop this relationship on the basis of mutual respect, trust, and interest.
“Recalling the depth and breadth of Pakistan-US relationship, the prime minister underscored that various dialogues established between Pakistan and the US have been playing a critical role in strengthening our bilateral ties in the areas of trade, investment, IT, climate change, health, and energy,” according to the statement.
The prime minister emphasised that, given Pakistan’s economic and demographic potential, the US companies needed to be encouraged by the Development Finance Corporation of the US to invest in Pakistan’s large market. The PM also stressed the need to have the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement Ministerial meeting later this year and also hold the Business Opportunities Conference this year.
“This year marks the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and the United States. The PM hoped that both countries would celebrate this historic occasion in a befitting manner, which would further deepen bilateral and people-to-people ties. He also stressed the need to have more exchanges at high-level between the two countries,” the statement noted.
Ambassador Blome thanked Pakistan for its prompt and effective assistance in facilitating evacuation from Afghanistan. He thanked the PM for receiving him and reaffirmed the US commitment to further strengthen and reinforce Pakistan-US ties. - The Express Tribune
