Washington: It is in the interest of the US and Pakistan to work through the challenges they are facing in their bilateral relationship, the State Department said.
"We have said all along that we recognise that there are challenges in our relationship with Pakistan, but it’s in both country’s strategic interest to work through those challenges and to build a long-term partnership," the department spokesman Mark Toner said at his daily news conference.
The Special Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Marc Grossman, is in Pakistan wherein he met the country's top leadership.
"He participated in the fourth core group meeting of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the US. In his meetings, in general, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to the shared interest of our two countries, and acting on those interests in a joint way," Toner said.
"He also met with the core group to discuss the process of Afghan-led reconciliation, as well as regional economic development along the vision of the new Silk Road that Secretary (Hillary) Clinton laid out in Chennai.”
"So it was a very productive set of meetings," the spokesman said.
Toner said American diplomats are free to travel inside Pakistan, but the Pakistan government has informed the US about certain regulations and requirements.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, August 04, 2011, 10:09