Pakistan's deputy PM, US state secretary hold first in-person talks amid diplomatic reset
The meeting at the State Department came just a few days after a US official hinted at a bilateral meeting between the two countries without elaborating on the schedule or the agenda earlier this week.
Dar is currently on an eight-day visit to the United States where he kept a busy schedule in New York where he chaired several high-profile United Nations Security Council meetings under Pakistan's rotating presidency this month.
He highlighted the need for multilateralism, peaceful dispute resolution and his country's own strategic concerns after an intense, four-day-long military standoff with India earlier this year amid Indian accusations of terrorism and its decision to cut off river water flows to Pakistan.
'This is the first face-to-face meeting between the foreign ministers of Pakistan and the United States,' the foreign office said in a statement. 'The two leaders exchanged views on enhancing cooperation in economic, trade, counterterrorism and investment matters.'
Last month, US President Donald Trump hosted Pakistan's army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, for a rare one-on-one lunch at the White House in a visit that followed the India-Pakistan standoff, which ended with a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10.
Trump also discussed Iran with Munir, saying Islamabad understood Tehran 'better than most.'
The recent interactions between Pakistani and American officials are widely viewed as a reset of their ties after years of estrangement that all but eliminated such high level meetings between both sides.
The revival of military and political dialogue between the two countries come as Pakistan is also holding trade talks with Washington after the Trump administration imposed 29 percent 'reciprocal tariffs' on Pakistani exports in April.
Pakistan's finance chief, Muhammad Aurangzeb, who also visited Washington this month, said the two countries were now working to shift their economic ties 'from one focused on trade to one anchored in long-term investment.'
After meeting US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Aurangzeb said priority sectors had been identified, including minerals, mining, artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency regulation.
He also hinted at 'leadership-level' announcements in the days ahead.
Friday's meeting between Dar and Rubio was described by the Foreign Office as reflecting the 'longstanding partnership' between Pakistan and the US.
Rubio welcomed Dar on his arrival at the State Department for what officials on both sides described as an 'important' meeting.
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