Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will soon meet former US President Donald Trump during his upcoming visit to the United States for the UN General Assembly, a media report on Tuesday said.
The meeting, which is scheduled for September 25 on the sidelines of the UNGA, will also involve Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, Geo News quoted sources as saying.
The level discussion, apparently held with the advice and assistance of Saudi Arabia and Qatar, is likely to touch upon everything from the recent floods in Pakistan to the implications of the Israeli attack on Qatar, sources further added. The current crisis between Pakistan and India is also likely to come up for discussion.
Diplomatic sources reported that Riyadh and Doha are supporting the mooted Shehbaz-Trump meeting. In contrast, Pakistan's embassy in Washington confirmed neither nor the possible engagement.
This comes during the bettering relations between Pakistan and the US, especially after the armed skirmish between Pakistan and India in May. Trump has earlier boasted of brokering a ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
On Sunday, the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Pakistan, Ishaq Dar, spoke on the phone with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, reiterating the resolve to deepen bilateral ties in various areas. In July, Dar had also met Rubio, where both sides agreed on intensified cooperation in trade, economy, investment, counter-terrorism, and regional peace projects.
Soon after the July session, the US and Pakistan announced a trade deal that is intended to increase bilateral trade, increase market access, bring in investment, and also promote cooperation in priority sectors. The deal features cuts in tariffs on Pakistani exports to the US and represents a new phase in economic collaboration, such as cooperation in developing oil reserves together.
Earlier this month, Pakistan acquired an investment of about $500 million from the US in its critical minerals industry with the new agreement with United States Strategic Metals (USSM).
Pakistan's improving economic, trade, and diplomatic relations with Washington are accompanied by several top-level visits by Army Chief Munir to the US, including the unusual private session with Trump in June. Munir visited again in August for the retirement ceremony of outgoing US Central Command Commander General Michael E. Kurilla and the Change of Command Ceremony for Admiral Brad Cooper, and met Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine.
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