WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Washington sees an opportunity to expand its strategic partnership with Pakistan, stressing that the recent strengthening of bilateral ties does not come at the expense of the United States’ relationship with India.
He made the remarks during a press briefing on Saturday, during which he was asked whether New Delhi had expressed concerns over the growing US-Pakistan relationship.
“They really haven’t — I mean, we know they’re concerned for obvious reasons because of the tensions that have existed between Pakistan and India historically. But, I think they have to understand, we have to have relations with a lot of different countries,” he said, according to a transcript of the briefing on the State Department’s website.
He continued, “We see an opportunity to expand our strategic relationship with Pakistan, and I think we’ve made — that’s our job, is to try to figure out how many countries we can find how we can work with on things of common interest.
“So, I think the Indians are very mature when it comes to diplomacy and things of that nature. Look, they have some relationships with countries that we don’t have relationships with. So, it’s part of a mature, pragmatic foreign policy. I don’t think anything we’re doing with Pakistan comes at the expense of our relationship or friendship with India, which is deep, historic, and important.”
Rubio was also asked whether the recent improvement in US-Pakistan ties was influenced by Islamabad’s recognition of Washington’s—and President Donald Trump’s—role in preventing a potential conflict between India and Pakistan.
“What do you think was the turning point?” a reporter asked, according to the State Department transcript.
“I think they appreciated,” Rubio said, adding that “anytime you work with someone, you get to know them and interact with them, and so I do think there was some sense of satisfaction about it. But even before that conflict started, I had already reached out and said we are interested in rebuilding a strategic partnership with you. We believe there are areas where we can work together.”
He reiterated that the US remains “fully aware of the challenges regarding India and other issues, but our role is to create opportunities for partnerships where possible. We have a long history of collaborating with Pakistan on counterterrorism and related areas, and we aim to expand that partnership further, understanding there will be challenges along the way.”
“But I think it’s a very encouraging thing that that relationship has strengthened the way that it has, and I don’t think it comes at the expense, or instead of a good relationship with India, or anybody else for that matter,” he added.
