Dar, Rubio discuss tariffs in follow-up phone call

Pakistan and the United States remained engaged in tariff talks on Monday, with efforts underway to reach an agreement ahead of the August deadline.

The discussion marked the second engagement in three days, following Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar’s meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Washington on July 25.

“Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar spoke to the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the telephone today,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

Following up on their productive meeting last Friday in Washington DC, the FO said that they discussed key bilateral matters, including tariffs, as well as regional and global issues of mutual interest.

The tariffs, initially set to take effect this month, have been temporarily deferred until August, allowing a brief window for high-stakes negotiations. The United States remains Pakistan’s largest export market, accounting for around $5 billion in trade.

Meanwhile, in a statement, the finance ministry said that Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb has departed for the United States to finalise Pakistan-US trade negotiations.

During the visit, conclusive discussions will be held on the Pakistan-US Trade Dialogue, aimed at forming a trade agreement that would benefit the economies of both countries.

“Strong trade and economic ties remain a key pillar of Pakistan-US bilateral relations. The United States is Pakistan’s largest trading partner, and Islamabad is keen to expand these relations into both traditional and non-traditional sectors.”

“There is significant potential for cooperation between the two countries in key sectors such as information technology, minerals, and agriculture,” the statement mentioned.

Islamabad had initially expected to conclude the deal by early July, but the pace of talks has been slower than anticipated.

Pakistan also offered to increase imports of American cotton and soybeans, while emphasising that the US remains its largest export market. Notably, Pakistan is the second-largest buyer of US cotton in South Asia after China.

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