Prime Minister’s meeting with members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
The Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif met the US Congressmen today at the Capitol Hill. He was welcomed by Congressman Ed Royce, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ranking member Congressman Eliot Engel and other members of the Committee from both sides of the aisle.
During the meeting, the Prime Minister spoke on a broad range of issues in the bilateral relationship. He said that democracy was a shared value between the peoples of the United States and Pakistan. The Prime Minister noted that both countries had cooperated closely at important junctures of history and a strong Pakistan-US bilateral relationship was important for peace and stability in the region. The Prime Minister said that Pakistan desired to build an enduring partnership with the United States in the future. He also underscored the importance of enhanced trade and expanding people to people contacts between the two nations. The Prime Minister also drew US Congressmen’s attention to Pakistan’s concerns on the continued use of drones.
In his remarks, Chairman Ed Royce recognized the sacrifices made the people of Pakistan in the fight against terrorists and said that a strong relationship between Pakistan and the United States was critical to achieve shared objectives.
The meeting was followed by an interactive session and the US Congressman discussed matters of interest with the Prime Minister.
Mr. Sartaj Aziz, Advisor on National Security and Foreign Affairs and Mr. Ishaq Dar, Finance Minister also attended the meeting.
October 22, 2013
Washington DC
