ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan met with US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Tuesday where the two discussed the Afghan peace process and the ongoing situation in Kashmir.
In a brief address to the media, Trump said that the US is watching the developments between India and Pakistan over Kashmir “very closely”, and that Washington was prepared to help in the matter, if necessary. “We were talking about Kashmir in relation to what’s going on with Pakistan and India that we can help, so certainly we’ll be helping. We are watching (developments) and following very closely,” Trump said, without adding any further details.
Khan, for his part, said that Afghanistan had been the “main issue... because it concerns the US and Pakistan.” “Both of us are interested in peace there and an orderly transition in Afghanistan with talks with the Taliban and the government,” he said.
When questioned whether he would be including Pakistan in his itinerary during his scheduled trip to India, Trump said: “Well, we are meeting right now. I wanted to say hello,” before quickly adding that both US and Pakistan are getting along very well and “have never been closer than we are right now.” Khan arrived in Davos on Tuesday where he is expected to hold talks with several world leaders on the sidelines of the forum which ends on January 23. His meeting with Trump was the third leadership-level interaction between Pakistan and the US since Khan’s visit to Washington in July last year.
He is visiting Davos on the invitation of Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the WEF and is being accompanied by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Adviser on Commerce Abdul Razaq Dawood, and his special assistants Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari and Dr. Moeed Yusuf for the trip.
According to a statement released on Tuesday, Khan is expected to give a keynote address during a special session of the WEF, in addition to interacting with CEOs and corporate leaders at the Pakistan Strategy Dialogue meet.
He will also speak to senior international journalists and editors during a session with the WEF’s International Media Council. The significance of his visit was further highlighted by a Time Magazine cover — which features the Pakistani premier alongside four other world leaders in the publication’s special edition of the WEF — which released on Monday.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the WEF. Khan’s office said that in keeping with this milestone, political leaders, business executives, heads of international organizations and civil society representatives will deliberate on contemporary economic, geopolitical, social and environmental issues.
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