WASHINGTON (Dunya News) - US State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel on Thursday said Pakistan is one of the most important partners of the United States in the region.
Briefing the newsmen in Washington, Vedant Patel said: “Pakistan continues to be one of our most important partners in the region.”
Replying to a question, he said there continues to be a lot of cooperation that the US have with the Government of Pakistan, especially in the security space and the trade sector.
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Vedant Patel said Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb during his visit to the United States earlier this month also held consultations with members of the State Department. "This is a robust relationship and we’ll look to continue strengthening it," he said.
Replying to another question, he said "we have been clear with countries around the world the integral role that a free press plays in the fabric of democracy. That’s why we come up here and take questions regularly."
Also Read: US again warns Pakistan against trade pacts with Iran
A couple of days ago, the United States had again warned Pakistan of imposing sanctions for signing new agreements with Iran.
During a press briefing in Washington, Deputy Spokesman for US State Department Vedant Patel said Pakistan might face sanctions if it promoted business agreements with Iran. He said those making agreements should be aware of sanctions, urging Pakistan to view relations with Iran as per its foreign policy.
Earlier, the United States had hinted at the “risk of possible sanctions” on Pakistan if Islamabad did trade with Iran.