Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will travel to the US on Sunday for a meeting with President Barack Obama, during which key bilateral issues, the drawdown in Afghanistan and Indo-Pak ties are expected to be discussed.
This will be Sharif's first bilateral official visit to the US during his current term. It is also the first official visit to the US by a Pakistani premier in five years.
Sharif visited New York last month for the UN General Assembly but no meeting with Obama was scheduled at the time.
During the upcoming visit, Sharif will hold wide-ranging talks with Obama, said a statement from Pakistan's Foreign Office.
Pakistan and the US share convergence on a wide range of issues, including peace and stability in South Asia and Middle East, as well as extremism and terrorism, the statement said.
The visit of the Prime Minister will afford an opportunity to highlight the government's priorities for the economic development of Pakistan, to discuss measures to strengthen bilateral cooperation and enhance trade and investment and to share his vision on peace and stability in the region, it said.
In addition to holding talks with Obama, Sharif will meet Vice President John Biden and interact with members of Congress.
Incidentally, US Secretary of State John Kerry will be travelling to Europe next week, making him unavailable during the visit by Sharif.
The Foreign Office statement further said senior US government officials will call on Sharif. He will also attend a business event organised by US-Pakistan Business Council, address the United States Institute of Peace and interact with the Pakistani-American community.
Sharif has said Pakistan will support the peace process in Afghanistan. The US is keen that Pakistan should play a sincere role ahead of its troop pullout from the war-stricken country.
The Pakistani premier has also publicly spoken about his desire for improving ties with India.
Sharif and Obama had a telephone conversation in May, when the US President congratulated him on his PML-N party s victory in the general election and appreciated the democratic transition in Pakistan.
The two leaders agreed to work to strengthen US-Pakistan relations and advance the shared interest of a stable, secure and prosperous Pakistan and the region.
Sharif this week chaired a meeting attended by army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and ISI head Lt Gen Zaheer-ul-Islam during which his upcoming visit to the US was discussed.
US Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan James F Dobbins too visited Islamabad and held meetings with senior Pakistani leaders on bilateral relations, regional security, Afghanistan and the agenda of Sharif's visit to Washington.
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