Prime Minister Imran Khan holds talks with President Trump
Prime Minister Imran Khan met President Donald Trump at the White House today. This was the first summit-level engagement between Pakistan and the United States since 2015.
President Trump welcomed the Prime Minister at the entrance of the White House. The two leaders first jointly addressed the press and later had one-on-one meeting, which was followed by delegation level talks between the two sides. President Trump hosted a luncheon in the Prime Minister’s honor. On arrival, the Prime Minister signed the White House Visitors’ Book.
The two leaders held comprehensive discussions with a focus on building a broad-based and enduring partnership between Pakistan and the United States and strengthening cooperation between the two countries to bring peace, stability and economic prosperity in South Asia.
The two leaders reviewed progress of the Afghan peace and reconciliation process. President Trump appreciated Pakistan’s contribution. Prime Minister Khan reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to continue to support the process in good faith. He added that pursuing the process was a shared responsibility.
The two leaders affirmed their resolve to work together across a broad range of areas. Both leaders acknowledged the immense opportunity and potential for mutually beneficial collaboration in diverse fields such as trade, investment, energy, economic connectivity, and defense and security cooperation. Prime Minister Khan invited the U.S. corporate sector to invest in Pakistan.
It was decided to establish a mechanism to follow-up on the understandings reached.
Prime Minister Khan briefed President Trump about his vision of socio-economic development of Pakistan. He said that “peaceful neighborhood” was a priority of Pakistan’s foreign policy. He added that peace and stability in the region would allow Pakistan to harness its rich human resource potential to generate growth and spur regional connectivity.
President Trump appreciated Prime Minister Khan’s vision for peace in South Asia. The Prime Minister said Pakistan was convinced that normalization of relations with India would be mutually beneficial for the two countries. He underlined that Pakistan would continue to pursue dialogue and diplomacy to resolve longstanding disputes, including the core dispute of Jammu and Kashmir. President Trump expressed his readiness to play a facilitating role in resolution of the Kashmir dispute.
Following the conclusion of official talks, President Trump took Prime Minister Khan and members of the delegation on a tour of the White House.
Pakistan’s delegation included the Foreign Minister, Chief of Army Staff, DG (ISI), Advisors on Finance and Commerce, Special Assistant on Overseas Pakistanis, Foreign Secretary, Ambassador-at-Large on Investment and Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States.
Prime Minister Khan extended a cordial invitation to President Trump for a visit to Pakistan. The President accepted the invitation.
Washington, DC
July 22, 2019
