Spokesperson for US State Department Heather Nauert has said that a state of tension exists in the ties of Pakistan and United States. During a press briefing in Washington on Friday, Nauert maintained that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had some meaningful and important meetings with the new government of Pakistan. “The US is looking forward to forging a relationship with that new government, recognising that there are, of course, some tensions and some areas where we – or the government can work harder,” she said. “And so those were the types of meetings that we had and we were pleased to have gone,” she concluded while replying to a query. She said that Pompeo during his meeting with Pakistani leadership highlighted the importance of the Pakistan-US relationship and underscored areas of shared interest such as the expansion of two-way trade and commercial ties. Nauert said that the secretary emphasised the important role Pakistan could play in bringing about a negotiated peace in Afghanistan, and conveyed the need for Pakistan to take sustained and decisive measures against terrorists and militants threatening regional peace and stability. “During his meeting with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Pompeo welcomed the smooth transition of power to a new civilian government stressing the importance of strong democratic institutions and also expressed hope for deeper counterterrorism cooperation between our nations,” a US State Department statement said. “While meeting with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, he discussed the potential for the United States and Pakistan to work together to advance joint priorities, including regional peace and stability and emphasised the value of strong people-to-people ties between our nations, built on decades of cultural and educational exchanges.” Congratulating the prime minister on the formation of his government, the secretary welcomed the further strengthening of civilian institutions. Secretary Pompeo also highlighted the importance of the US-Pakistan relationship, and underscored areas of shared interest such as the expansion of two-way trade and commercial ties. Published in Daily Times, September 15th 2018.