Blinken gives Bilawal his word that he will stand behind him and offers his sorrow for the victims of terrorist acts.
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken have spoken about Pakistan’s flood-related devastation and the need for restoration.
According to the US State Department, Secretary Blinken and Foreign Minister Bilawal “addressed the necessity for close collaboration” and “expressed their mutual desire for a constructive International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan in January.”
Blinken expressed sympathy for the victims of the most recent terrorist assaults and reaffirmed the United States’ unwavering support for Pakistan in its fight against terrorism.
Bilawal expressed the appreciation of the Pakistani government for the $97 million in US disaster aid.
He reaffirmed the two nations’ intention to work together in the future to develop Pakistan’s infrastructure.
He continued by saying that both nations would continue to work together to further develop and diversify their bilateral ties as well as to contribute to regional peace and stability.
“I spoke with Secretary Blinken and expressed gratitude on behalf of the GoP for the $97 million in US flood assistance. Will continue to work together to rebuild strong infrastructure in Pakistan, to further improve and diversify bilateral relations, and to promote peace and stability in the region, Bilawal said on Twitter.
When discussing his conversation with Bilawal, Blinken also posted on Twitter, writing, “Express our continuous support for the people of Pakistan as they recover from severe floods.”
In a tweet, he expressed his hopes for a successful climate summit the next month and his sympathies for the victims of recent terrorist atrocities.
‘Far more broad’ ties with the US
Foreign Minister Bilawal said Islamabad had “a consistent back and forth of engagement with the United States (US)” since he took office in April earlier this year, and the itinerary of these engagements had been “far more comprehensive” than in the past. Bilawal was speaking to the Atlantic Council, a US-based international affairs think tank, in Washington.
“When Pakistan and the US cooperated, we were able to accomplish some very amazing things, and we also know where we fell short when we were unable to work together or reach a consensus.
We have maintained regular back-and-forth communication with the US at various levels during the last seven to eight months that I have served as Pakistan’s foreign minister, FM Bilawal said.
“Our report card for foreign policy with the US-Pakistan relations over the last six months is that although 90% of our conversations over the last ten years have been centred on counterterrorism and the war on terror, now we are talking far more diversely on a wide variety of topics,” he stated.
Regarding the correspondence between Islamabad and Washington, Bilawal said: “We have discussions about the environment, technology, health, and even prospective agricultural collaboration.
“We still discuss terrorism in our bilateral interactions, but our current agenda is far more extensive,” the diplomat said.
In response to inquiries, Bilawal stated that Pakistan’s future 10 to 20 years would be one of opportunity, asking everyone to seize it now while they still had the chance in order to maximise their future benefits.
Speaking openly, the FM acknowledged that people “are over it” when he brought up investment in Pakistan’s future in conversations.
He added, however, that he had been successful in persuading potential investors to say “they are willing to give us a shot to come and explore bilateral economic opportunities to send their business teams, to send their commerce teams, to find win-win solutions.” “[They are] sick and tired, [say] sort out your own issues and then maybe we can think about it,” he said.
We are at the very beginning, but if I can see this progress one or two steps farther, there is so much potential that we could explore if given the chance.
The minister added, “We experienced this year what can only be defined as a climate calamity of biblical proportions,” in reference to the terrible floods the nation endured during the monsoon season.
Bilawal claimed that the “exceptional” rain-caused floods were the worst that the nation had ever seen, but he added that “we didn’t experience it alone.”
China was going through its greatest drought ever while we were being flooded, he continued.
“We were going through a severe heat wave and drought before we were flooded,” he continued. “In California, there were forest fires raging. In Europe, I suppose there were landslides, forest fires, and floods. There were also floods in Nigeria.”
As a result, Bilawal emphasised, there was a burden on the humanitarian and developmental help that was currently predominantly going to Ukraine because of the conflict there.
Power meets Bilawal
Separately, Samantha Power, the administrator of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), met with Bilawal.
Power and Bilawal spoke on ongoing collaboration for the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Pakistan’s flood-affected districts.
“[The] meeting [I] had with the USAID administrator was fruitful. Thanked her for taking the initiative to rally support for disaster relief,” he wrote in a tweet after the meeting.
Power said in a tweet that she spoke with Bilawal on the effects of US aid in the immediate aftermath and the state of the communities affected by the recent floods in Pakistan. She added that the conversation also centred on coming together to increase resilience in order to prepare for upcoming calamities.
