ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: Pakistan’s ambassador to the United States Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry has emphasized the need for close cooperation between Pakistan and the US for combating terrorism and having long lasting peace in Afghanistan.
While speaking at the Department of International Studies, University of St Thomas (under the ‘Distinguished Diplomat Program’ (DDP) and Baker’s Institute for Public Policy, Rice University which is one of the top ranking think tanks in the US, the ambassador said the challenges facing both the Countries in form of Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and the security situation in Afghanistan also provided an opportunity for future cooperation and engagement.
“Pakistan and US need to build on their commonalities to further strengthen bilateral relationship”, Aizaz Chaudhry said according to a press release issued on Tuesday.
While referring to the situation in Afghanistan, the ambassador highlighted Pakistan’s efforts towards achieving peace in Afghanistan and remarked that there is a need to find a political solution to Afghanistan.
The envoy said that a sovereign, stable and prosperous Afghanistan is vital to peace in Pakistan and the region.
The ambassador He said that the relationship between the United States and Pakistan covering the seven decades of bilateral relationship. He highlighted the evolution of the relationship from security oriented relationship to a deeper more dynamic and multifaceted relationship in which cooperation is taking place across multiple fields spanning from agriculture to industry, education to energy and from trade and investment to healthcare.
Aizaz Chaudhry recalled the close cooperation between the two countries and the successes they garnered during the Cold War era and also shed light on the unprecedented level of cooperation in the Post 9/11 scenario.
The envoy highlighted that while the relationship between Pakistan and the United States has seen its ups and downs; however, both Countries have continued to engage and cooperate with each other for long sustained periods and history has testified that both have been more successful whenever they worked together.
The ambassador also apprised the audience about the positive developments inside Pakistan including the successful security operations and the increasing economic opportunities.
Aizaz Chaudhry highlighted the significant improvement within Pakistan’s stock market, foreign exchange reserves, foreign investment and enhanced credit ratings of the Country.
The evens were also attended by a number of students, faculty members, media personnel and other distinguished guests.
