Relations with Pakistan will not come at the cost of friendship with India, says America

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) - US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has made a big statement on relations with Pakistan, saying that Washington wants to further strengthen its strategic partnership with Islamabad, but this step will not be at the cost of America's deep and historical friendship with India.

'Relationships with India will remain our priority'

Rubio made it clear that the US wants to increase cooperation with Pakistan without weakening its ties with India. He said, "We will not strengthen our ties with Pakistan at the expense of our friendship with India. The US and Pakistan have already been working together against terrorism, and we want to continue this, but this will not affect our partnership with India."

'Trust in India's diplomacy'

Rubio, considered close to former President Trump, also praised India's foreign policy. He said, "Indian diplomacy is very mature and sensible. India understands that we have to maintain relationships with many countries, just as they have relationships with some countries with which we do not have good relations. This is part of a pragmatic foreign policy."

'US aware of India-Pakistan tensions'

Rubio acknowledged that the US is well aware of the long-standing tensions between India and Pakistan, but said the US's aim is to find ways to befriend as many countries around the world as possible. "We want to strengthen cooperation with Pakistan against terrorism, but that will never be at the expense of our friendship with India or any other country," he said.

Discussion on Trump-Pak Relations

It is noteworthy that in the past few months, Pakistan has intensified its efforts to improve its relations with the United States. In June of this year, Pakistani Army Chief Asim Munir held a secret meeting with US President Donald Trump, while in September, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Munir also met with Trump at the White House. The Trump administration has been making continued efforts to re-establish relations with Pakistan during its second term.