Pak Has ‘Excellent Strategic Relationship’ With US: Army Chief Bajwa After PM Imran Khan Alleges Conspiracy
“Equally, we share a long and excellent strategic relationship with the US which remains our largest export market,” he added.
New Delhi: Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Bajwa on Saturday said Islamabad sought to broaden and expand relations with both China and the US “without impacting our relations with [either]”.
“Pakistan does not believe in camp politics and our bilateral relations with our partners are not at the expense of our relationships with other countries,” General Bajwa said speaking about Islamabad’s relations with other countries, including the United States, Dawn reported.
“Equally, we share a long and excellent strategic relationship with the US which remains our largest export market,” he added.
The Pakistan Army Chief asserted that Islamabad enjoyed a close strategic relationship with Beijing which was demonstrated by the country's commitment towards the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).
The remarks come as Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan alleged Washington’s role in an alleged “foreign conspiracy” to oust him from power, following the filing of a no-confidence motion against him in the National Assembly.
The Pakistan Army Chief also expressed concerns over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine stating it must be “stopped immediately”.
“Despite legitimate security concerns of Russia, its aggression against a smaller country cannot be condoned,” he said speaking at the Islamabad Security Dialogue, Dawn reported.
General Bajwa said Pakistan has consistently called for an immediate ceasefire and cessation of hostilities.
“We support immediate dialogue between all sides to find a lasting solution to the conflict,” he added.
Stating the Russian invasion of Ukraine was very unfortunate, General Bajwa said that thousands of people had been killed, millions made refugees and “half of Ukraine destroyed”.
The Pakistan Army Chief said that his nation had enjoyed excellent defence and economic relationships with Ukraine since its independence.
General Bajwa said that relations with Russia on the other hand were “cold” for a long time because of numerous reasons.
He, however, added that some positive developments had taken place recently in this regard.
General Bajwa said that his nation had sent humanitarian assistance to Ukraine via Pakistan Air Force (PAF) planes and would continue to do.
He cautioned that the continuation or expansion of the conflict would not serve the interests of any side.
“I believe the world today is built by those who believe in cooperation, respect and equality, instead of division, war-mongering and dominance,” he added.
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