The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday that Pakistan and Bangladesh are engaging to finalise a date for a visit by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar which should take place soon. The Foreign Office also said that Pakistan will be represented in Donald Trump’s presidential inauguration by the ambassador, as per tradition.

Addressing a routine press briefing in the Foreign Office on Thursday, MoFA Spokesperson Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan said that Bangladesh is an important partner for Pakistan and that Islamabad aspires to have ‘strong and vibrant relations’ with Dhaka.

Regarding the recent visit by a high-profile military delegation from Bangladesh to Pakistan, Ali said that the visit was part of state-level exchanges is part of regular exchanges over defence cooperation. He confirmed that Foreign Minister Dar will indeed visit Bangladesh soon but both sides are working together to find mutually acceptable dates.

Responding to a question about US President Donald Trump’s inauguration, Ali said that the Pakistani ambassador to the US will attend the event as the country’s representative as per tradition.

Regarding reports of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari receiving an invitation to the inauguration, Ali said that the invitation had not been routed through the Foreign Office and therefore no comment could be made.

The spokesperson added that relations between Pakistan and the United States have a warm history. He added that Pakistan will continue to work with the new administration to strengthen relations between the two countries.

Ali also called Russia an important partner for Pakistan and said that the government welcomes Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s statement about cooperation between SCO members to fight terrorism. He reiterated that no Pakistani weapons are being used in the war in Ukraine. Ali said that 11 consignments of assistance have been sent to Gaza and more aid will be dispatched as the area is opened to access after a ceasefire deal.