• Foreign minister says Pakistan-US mineral deal to be finalised soon
• Ex-State Dept official Elizabeth Horst made acting envoy to Pakistan

WASHINGTON: Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday and discussed trade, investment, counterterrorism cooperation and the clash between India and Pakistan in May, according to officials from both countries.

The meeting — the first such engagement between the foreign ministers of the two countries in three years — is being considered a breakthrough in diplomacy between Pakistan and the US.

On the same day, the US named an acting ambassador in Islamabad.

In Washington, Mr Dar and Secretary Rubio held their first meeting since working together in May to negotiate a ceasefire that ended a dangerous military standoff between India and Pakistan.

In a post shared after the meeting, Mr Dar said he discussed bilateral relations with Secretary Rubio.

“We reaffirmed our commitment to the long-term Pakistan-US partnership, with renewed focus on economic, trade, investment, IT/AI, and CT [counterterrorism] cooperation.”

Secretary Rubio, in a separate post, highlighted key economic and strategic aspects of the meeting.

“Met with Pakistani Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister today to discuss expanding bilateral trade and enhancing collaboration in the critical minerals sector,” he said.

Both leaders mentioned discussions on regional developments,........

© Dawn Business