WASHINGTON: The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday reaffirmed his country’s commitment to continue cooperating with Pakistan in meeting the challenge of rehabilitation and reconstruction of flood-affected areas.
Talking to Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in Washington D.C, he expressed condolences and solidarity with Pakistan over the loss of precious lives and monumental economic losses in the flooding.
Secretary Blinken also maintained that given Pakistan’s enormous potential, the US private sector would like to invest in Pakistan including in the energy sector.
Apprising Secretary Blinken about the devastation caused by the floods, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said no country could deal with a crisis of this proportion on its own. He said Pakistan is seeking climate justice and looking towards its partners to assist us in recovering from this climate-induced calamity.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Pakistan is committed to building back better, greener, and climate-resilient infrastructure in areas such as irrigation, communication, energy, Agri technology, and health. He said immediate action is required to help developing countries effectively face the climate crisis.
On the sidelines of a ceremony to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Pakistan and the US, at the State Department, the US Secretary of State announced additional ten million dollars for the flood victims of Pakistan, in addition to the already announced assistance of 56.1 million dollars.
Earlier, a delegation level meeting was held at the State Department in which stock of enhanced bilateral engagement in trade, energy, food, health, and areas of mutual interest and cooperation were discussed.
The Foreign Minister thanked the US side for the continued support of Pakistan following the devastating climate catastrophe in the country.
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