PAKISTANI PM, TOP U.S. NAVAL OFFICIAL AGREE TO BUILD STRONGER PARTNERSHIP

PAKISTANI PM, TOP U.S. NAVAL OFFICIAL AGREE TO BUILD STRONGER PARTNERSHIP

ISLAMABAD, May 13, 2014 (Xinhua via COMTEX News Network) — Admiral Jonathan Greenert, U.S. Chief of Naval Operations and Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Tuesday agreed to continue to work together in order to build a stronger partnership and further common objectives, the U. S. embassy said.

Admiral Greenert is the fourth top U.S. official to visit Pakistan in less than a month at a time when the NATO troops are planning to leave Afghanistan.

 

The U.S. wants Pakistan to help in Afghan reconciliation process and to ensure that the militants could not cross into Afghanistan from its border regions.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, William J. Burns, who visited Pakistan last week, emphasized in his meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif “to sustain pressure on militant groups, deny them a safe-haven, and prevent cross-border attacks.”

The U.S. does not want instability in Afghanistan after the NATO withdrawal and considers Pakistan’s role very important for peace in the war-torn country.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Admiral Jonathan Greenert, who met in Islamabad, also reaffirmed the importance of the U.S.- Pakistani security relationship to regional stability, a U.S. embassy statement said.

The U.S. embassy said Admiral Greenert departed Pakistan Tuesday after meeting with Prime Minister Sharif and top military officials in Islamabad and Karachi.

Admiral Greenert concluded his visit with discussions on a wide range of common security issues with Prime Minister Sharif, Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif, Air Chief Marshal Tahir Rafique Butt, and Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Asif Sandila, along with other senior military officials.

“U.S. assistance to Pakistan continues to help build the counter-insurgency and counterterrorism capabilities of Pakistan’ s security forces, which are critical to countering violence in the western border regions,” the embassy said.

Since 2002, Pakistan has received more than $16 billion of security assistance and reimbursements, it said.

“Pakistan’s determined effort to root out terrorism and militancy on its own territory is essential for creating a stable environment for promoting economic growth and prosperity,” the U. S. embassy’s statement said