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Relations With US 'Reset,' Pakistan's Foreign Minister Says

Margaret Besheer

   UNITED NATIONS - Pakistan's foreign minister said Thursday that
   relations between Islamabad and Washington were improving and he was
   hopeful progress could be made on critical regional issues.
   "I think the last year since this government came into office, there
   has been somewhat of a reset and things have improved," Shah Mahmood
   Qureshi said of the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was
   sworn in in August. "There has been more interaction at the highest
   level; we've had two very good meetings with President Trump."
   Khan met with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday on the sidelines of
   the U.N. General Assembly. They had met previously at the White House
   in July.
   "I have a very good relationship with Prime Minister Khan," Trump told
   reporters before their Monday meeting. He added that he trusted him and
   that he felt "in a positive way" about Pakistan.

   Previous criticism

   He didn't always express such a rosy opinion. He slammedthe previous
   government on Twitter in January 2018, saying it had given the U.S.
   "nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools." He cut
   hundreds of millions of dollars in security aid to the country last
   year, saying Islamabad was not doing enough to fight militants in
   border areas near Afghanistan.
   "We've been working closely with them, pushing forward the peace
   process in Afghanistan," Qureshi told VOA, referring tothe Trump
   administration.

   Another area where there is potential for cooperation is trade, "and
   trade, I think, maybe is one of the most important," Trump said Monday.
   "We're going to increase trade with Pakistan by a tremendous margin."
   As for the lost financial assistance, Qureshi was cautiously
   optimistic.
   "We haven't really spoken about it, but I'm sure as a better
   understanding takes place, this will be resolved," he said.

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