WASHINGTON: The Pakistan-US relationship is on an upward trajectory, with bilateral cooperation in wide-ranging economic and security areas moving well, National Security and Foreign Affairs Advisor Sartaj Aziz told a Washington think tank on Tuesday.
Aziz, who led Pakistan at the Strategic Dialogue with US Secretary of State John Kerry this week, also touched on some of the mutual concerns the two sides have had in recent years and said building trust could greatly spur the bilateral relationship.
In a speech at the Atlantic Council, Aziz noted that Washington is being appreciative of Pakistan's views on some key regional issues.
“On the whole, the relationship is on an upward trajectory,” he remarked to a gathering that included American experts, journalists and writers.
Top members of the Pakistani delegation including Minister for Defense, Water and Power Khawaja Muhammad Asif and Pakistan's ambassador to the United States Jalil Abbas Jilani were present.
In his speech, Pakistan's chief national security advisor highlighted that five working groups under the Strategic Dialogue have held their meetings and that cooperation in the fields of energy, defense, counterterrorism, law enforcement is “moving very well.”
However, Sartaj Aziz called for greater trade access for Pakistani products and a robust inflow of American investment into prospective areas of the country's economy.
He said an investment conference being held in Islamabad will give the signal to American investors for opportunities they can utilize in the country.
The top advisor to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said the purpose of the dialogue is to convert the transactional relationship into a strategic relationship.
Aziz highlighted the significance of Washington giving “greater attention to Pakistan's concerns” regarding spillover of fighters, who were previously jointly trained to fight the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and those concerns regarding India and nuclear civil deal.
“I think there is an appreciation of these points,” he noted, at the event, moderated by Director South Asia Shuja Nawaz.
Regarding US concerns on terrorism, safe haven and cross-border militancy, Aziz said most of these were “perception issues but also partly issues of timing.”
The national security advisor explained that certain things that happened in the aftermath of 9/11 were transformed with changing situation like the birth of the Pakistani Taliban, which changed the mindset.
“Some people are looking at it from the old mindset and therefore, it has to be updated from where we are going.”
He said once the trust is restored the concrete ingredients of a better relationship like trade, investment, technology cooperation become much more meaningful.
Aziz said the relationship can be improved in fundamental ways and expressed confidence that goals laid out in the October 2013 meeting between President Obama and Prime Minister Sharif would be achieved.
The national security and foreign affairs advisor apprised Islamabad's efforts to tackle economic challenges and fight terrorism comprehensively.
In the regional perspective, he said, Islamabad is following a policy of having peaceful relations with neighbours India and Afghanistan.
Trade relations with India are picking up but disputes remain that need to be resolved, he said.