ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States began a crucial round of trade negotiations in Washington on Thursday as both countries seek to finalise an agreement aimed at expanding bilateral trade, addressing tariff-related issues and strengthening long-term economic cooperation.
The negotiations on the proposed Agreement on Reciprocal Trade are being held on Thursday and Friday in Washington, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson and Additional Secretary Tahir Andrabi said.
The Pakistani delegation is being led by Commerce Secretary Jawad Paul. The delegation also includes Labour Secretary Nadeem Chaudhry and Joint Secretary (Tariff Policy) Ashfaq Khan. Pakistan’s Foreign Office is being represented by Foreign Office spokesperson and Additional Secretary Tahir Andrabi, and Pakistan Ambassador to Washington Rizwan Saeed Sheikh. Representatives from other relevant ministries are participating virtually.
The talks are expected to focus on expanding cooperation across multiple sectors of trade, increasing Pakistan’s exports to the United States and exploring measures to deepen bilateral commercial relations.
The two sides are also expected to discuss reducing US tariffs on Pakistani exports and hold detailed negotiations on concluding a formal bilateral trade agreement.
The latest round of talks follows a series of virtual meetings held over recent weeks to resolve outstanding trade-related issues between the two countries.
The Pakistan-US trade dialogue was originally launched in July last year but was later interrupted after the United States imposed tariffs on imports from several countries, temporarily halting the negotiation process.
US President Donald Trump has signalled that Washington is prepared to negotiate “a better deal” with Pakistan.
In a recent post on his Truth Social platform, Trump referred to Pakistan’s large oil and gas reserves and said US teams would be sent to explore energy opportunities. He also suggested Pakistan could eventually export oil and gas to India.
The United States is Pakistan’s largest single-country export market, while Pakistan is the second largest importer of US cotton, underscoring the importance of the economic relationship between the two countries.
The resumption of talks is being viewed as an important step toward revitalizing economic engagement between Islamabad and Washington and enhancing long-term bilateral trade cooperation.
