Pakistan says it is near U.S. commerce deal, Washington offers no timeline

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“I think we are very close to finalising a deal with U.S. Our teams have been here in Washington, discussing, having virtual meetings and a committee has been tasked by the prime minister to fine-tune now,” Mr. Dar mentioned in a dialogue on the Atlantic Council assume tank in Washington.

“It’s not going to be months, not even weeks, I would say (just) days,” he mentioned.

Under U.S. President Donald Trump, Washington has tried to renegotiate commerce agreements with many international locations that he threatened with tariffs over what he calls unfair commerce relations. Many economists dispute Mr. Trump’s characterization.

The U.S. State Department and Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry, in separate statements after Mr. Rubio’s assembly with Mr. Dar, mentioned the 2 burdened of their dialogue the significance of increasing commerce and ties in crucial minerals and mining. A publish by Mr. Rubio on X after the assembly and the State Department’s assertion talked about no timeline for finalizing a commerce deal.

The Pakistan Foreign Ministry additionally mentioned Mr. Dar “appreciated the pivotal role” by Mr. Trump and Mr. Rubio “in de-escalating tensions between Pakistan and India by facilitating a ceasefire.” The State Department assertion didn’t point out India.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly taken credit score for the India-Pakistan ceasefire he introduced on social media on May 10 after Washington held talks with either side. India disputes Mr. Trump’s claims that the ceasefire resulted from his intervention and commerce threats.