WASHINGTON:
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with his Pakistani counterpart at the State Department in Washington on Friday as talks to end the war with Iran drag on.
The meeting with Secretary of State Ishaq Dar – whose country acts as a mediator between the US and Iran – came days after Rubio’s visit to India.
The two officials did not address the press.
Meanwhile, Rubio acknowledged Pakistan’s “sincere diplomatic and mediation efforts” for peace and stability in the region during the meeting.
According to a statement issued by the State Department, Dar held a bilateral meeting with Secretary Rubio in Washington DC.
“The two leaders expressed satisfaction over the positive momentum in the Pak-US bilateral relations and exchanged views on the development of the regional and global situation,” the statement said.
It added that Secretary Rubio recognized Pakistan’s “sincere diplomatic and mediation efforts for peace and stability in the region and beyond”.
The statement said both sides agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in areas of mutual interest, including trade and investment, security and counter-terrorism.
“The two leaders agreed to advance the Pak-US partnership, driven by high-level exchanges and shared interests in regional peace, security and prosperity,” it added.
A detailed statement said Rubio praised the close engagement and continued coordination between Pakistan’s leadership and the US administration, while FM Dar expressed confidence that Pakistan’s continued sincere efforts for peace and stability would yield positive results.
He also “deeply appreciated the critical role” played by President Trump and Secretary Rubio in de-escalating tensions between Pakistan and India last year and averting a wider conflict between the two nuclear-armed states. Dar further conveyed Pakistan’s concerns regarding terrorist groups’ use of Afghan territory against Pakistan and stressed the need for increased counter-terrorism cooperation to address security challenges.
Dar said he had a “very good meeting” with Rubio. “Always a pleasure to engage with him to further strengthen Pak-US bilateral relations and advance our shared goals of peace, stability and prosperity for our two countries and the wider region.”
Later, in a post on X, Rubio thanked Dar for Pakistan’s role in promoting peace in the Middle East. “We agreed on the importance of working together to further strengthen a meaningful partnership for better security and more prosperity for our two nations,” Rubio said.
The US State Department said Rubio thanked FM Dar for the “constructive role Pakistan continues to play in realizing President Trump’s vision for peace in the Middle East and its mediation efforts with Iran”.
It said both agreed on the importance of working together to “further strengthen a meaningful partnership that promotes security and prosperity” for both Americans and Pakistanis.
The State Department added that Rubio also expressed his condolences to the victims of the recent Balochistan Liberation Army terror attack in Quetta.
Later, Dar categorically rejected any notion of Pakistan joining the Abraham Accords, reiterating that there would be “no flexibility” in Islamabad’s position on the matter until the recognition of an independent Palestinian state.
“There are a lot of rumors going on related to the Abraham Accords, let me make it clear that Pakistan’s position is very clear and consistent on that. Until Palestine is recognized on the pre-1967 model with Quds Al Sharif as the capital, there will be no flexibility,” Dar said while addressing the media at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington, DC.
The clarification came days after US President Donald Trump said he had asked several countries, including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan and Turkey, to join the Abraham Accords to normalize relations with Israel.
In a lengthy post on social media, Trump listed countries whose leaders he said he had spoken to regarding efforts to end the war with Iran.
“After all the work the United States has done trying to piece together this very complex puzzle, it should be mandatory that all of these countries sign the Abraham Accords at the very least at the same time,” Trump wrote.
“The countries under discussion are Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Pakistan, Turkiye, Egypt, Jordan and Bahrain,” he added.
Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to expand the deals brokered during his first term in office.
The Abraham Accords are US-sponsored agreements that normalized relations between Israel and several Muslim-majority countries during Trump’s first term.
The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed the agreements in 2020, becoming the first Arab states in a quarter of a century to establish ties with Israel. Morocco, Kazakhstan and Sudan later followed suit.
Trump had previously expressed optimism that Saudi Arabia would also join the accords following a ceasefire in Gaza last year, although Riyadh has yet to indicate a willingness to move forward. Egypt and Jordan already have diplomatic relations with Israel.
Pakistan has long maintained support for an independent Palestinian state based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital.
Last year, after the US special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, suggested that additional countries not previously “considered” were preparing to join the accords, Pakistan again ruled out the possibility of recognizing Israel.
“We are not ready to recognize Israel until the two-state solution to the Palestine conflict is accepted,” Dar said at the time. “There is no change in our stated policy on the Palestine issue.”
He had also said that signing the Abraham Accords would amount to abandoning Pakistan’s long-standing demand for a Palestinian state with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital, based on pre-1967 borders.
“Let it be clear to all that our seven-decade policy remains unchanged,” he had said.
(With input from the News Desk)
