NEW YORK: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has been invited to the White House for a possible meeting with US President Donald Trump on September 25 (Thursday), multiple credible diplomatic sources told WE News English on Tuesday.
The meeting will be PM Sharif’s first face-to-face encounter with Trump. The Prime Minister will be accompanied by top Pakistani officials.
Talking to newsmen in New York on Tuesday, PM Sharif welcomed President Trump’s peace overtures made during his address to the UN General Assembly session today.
PM Sharif said Donald Trump is a man of peace who has played a key role in bringing an end to wars, including the one between India and Pakistan in May this year.
Prime Minister Sharif is expected to travel to Washington for his extraordinary meeting with the US President at the White House.
A great deal of active diplomatic effort has been undertaken by the Pakistani side, including by Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, and Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, credible diplomatic sources told WE News English.
On Tuesday, the Prime Minister of Pakistan will be meeting with six other Arab leaders on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York to discuss regional developments.
Just a few days ago, ahead of his departure for the United Nations General Assembly, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Dar received a phone call from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The high-level Pakistan-US summit is expected to cover a range of topics, including Pakistan-India tensions, Pakistan-US ties, the security situation in Afghanistan, and other matters of mutual concern, diplomatic source said.
Details of the summit are still being finalised, diplomatic sources told WE News English.
Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif participated in the formal opening ceremony of the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
The Prime Minister will also participate in a special summit of Arab and Islamic countries hosted by the United States and Qatar.
The Prime Minister has been specially invited to attend the summit, which will also be attended by US President Donald Trump.
