ISLAMABAD:  The newly arrived Ambassador-designate of theUS to Pakistan, Mr. David Hale, made his first courtesy call on the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs (SAPM), Syed Tariq Fatemi Monday. 

The Special Assistant welcomed Ambassador Hale to Pakistan and wished him success in his new assignment. He emphasized that a close and enduring partnership between Pakistan and the US was a strategic imperative, especially as the two countries had converging views on a wide range of regional and international issues.

He expressed the hope that the historic relationship between the two countries would continue to strengthen into a broad-based partnership, in the comingdays.

SAPM recalled the visit of the Prime Minister to the US in October
2015, and highlighted that it had helped reinforce the strong
bilateral cooperation between the two sides in numerous areas,
including defence, security, energy, trade, economy, education, and
people-to-people contacts.

Ambassador Hale expressed confidence that Pakistan-US relations would continue to follow a positive trajectory in the coming days and stressed that he looked forward to working closely with the Government of Pakistan to this end.

Other issues of regional and international importance also came under discussion during the meeting.