US-President elect Donald Trump desires peace and security between Pakistan and India for regional peace and stability, Vice President-elect Mike Pence said Sunday.
Pence made the remarks when he was asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” programme whether Trump’s remarks during a recent phone conversation with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif amounted to an offer to “be a mediator in deciding Kashmir”.
“Well clearly there’s been great tension between India and Pakistan in recent days. It has resulted in violence along the Kashmir region,” said the vice president-elect.
“I think what the president-elect expressed in conversation with leaders from both countries was a desire for continued US engagement in building the relationship with both those countries.
“These are two nuclear powers, president-elect recognises that and making sure that they know that when this administration takes office that we intend to be fully engaged in the region and fully engaged with both nations to advance peace and security,” said Pence.
When asked how would Trump pursue the task of engaging world leaders for peace and stability, the vice-president elect said, “I think in President-Elect Donald Trump you’ve got someone who, who is prepared to advance America’s interests here at home, to rebuild this economy, to fight for American jobs.”
“But I think you’re also going to see an energetic leadership in the world, prepared to engage and to look for ways that he can bring those extraordinary deal-making skills to bear on lessening tensions and solving problems in the world.”
Trump’s conversation with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif made headlines when the US president-elect offered his help in solving Pakistan’s outstanding issues’.
The text of the conversation released by the Press Information Department shows Trump praising Nawaz and expressing his desire to come to “a fantastic country, fantastic place of fantastic people”.
Trump’s transition team, however, offered few details about the conversation with the prime minster. A three-sentence statement called the conversation ‘productive’ and said Trump was “looking forward to a lasting and strong personal relationship with Prime Minister Sharif”.
