Washington: US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that Washington’s relationship with Pakistan will not come at the expense of its ties with India.
Responding to a question about changes in US-Pakistan relations, Rubio said the United States would like to strengthen its engagement with Islamabad if possible, while acknowledging that the relationship may face “difficulties and challenges.”
“India has so far not raised any formal objection to the growing relationship between the US and Pakistan. I don’t think what we are doing with Pakistan is at the cost of our deep, historic and important relationship or friendship with India,” Rubio said.
During his second term, US President Donald Trump has made efforts to deepen ties with Pakistan and has met Field Marshal Asim Munir twice.
When asked about the expanding relationship between Washington and Islamabad, Rubio said, “We see an opportunity to expand our strategic ties with Pakistan and I think it’s our job. India has relations with some countries that we don’t have relations with. So it’s part of foreign policy. I don’t think anything we are doing with Pakistan comes at the cost of our relationship or friendship with India.”
