ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi has reaffirmed Pakistan’s desire for a broad-based partnership with the United States that would advance the two countries shared interests in the bilateral and regional spheres. The foreign minister held an interaction with the leadership of the US House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific and Non-Proliferation, on the sidelines of his UN-related engagements in New York, a Foreign Office spokesperson said in a press release on Saturday. These included Congressman Ami Bera and Congressman Steven Chabot, respectively the chair and ranking member of the subcommittee. The foreign minister underscored the importance of enhanced bilateral trade and economic cooperation to promote regional connectivity. He highlighted Pakistan’s efforts for facilitating a peaceful, political settlement in Afghanistan while stressing that peace in Afghanistan was a shared responsibility of the Afghan parties and the key international stakeholders. Congressman Bera and Congressman Chabot thanked the foreign minister for his briefing and appreciated Pakistan’s invaluable contributions to regional peace and security. They acknowledged the huge potential for expanding the Pak-US bilateral relationship and agreed to work towards further enhancing the engagement of the US Congress with Pakistan. The foreign minister Qureshi also spoke with Congressman Thomas Suozzi, a member of the House of Representatives from New York. Congressman Suozzi is also the Democratic Co-Chair of the Congressional Pakistan Caucus. The foreign minister and the Congressman discussed Pakistan-US bilateral relations, regional peace and security as well as the need to strengthen people-to-people linkages between the two countries. He appreciated Congressman Suozzi for his role as Democratic Co-Chair of the Pakistan Caucus. Foreign Minister Qureshi underscored that Pakistan attached importance to its longstanding partnership with the United States. Highlighting the government’s emphasis on economic development and connectivity, the foreign minister underscored Pakistan’s desire for closer trade and investment ties with the United States. He also highlighted the importance attached by the government towards the Pakistani diaspora. Suozzi thanked the foreign minister for sharing his perspective and appreciated Pakistan’s positive contributions to regional peace and security. Recognizing the positive role played by Pakistani American community, especially in his New York constituency, the Congressman agreed to work towards further strengthening the bilateral linkages and relations between Pakistan and the United States. The foreign minister invited Congressman Suozzi to visit Pakistan. The Congressman expressed his keen desire for strengthening mutual exchanges between parliaments of the two countries and agreed to undertake the visit to Pakistan.