WASHINGTON (National Times) – US State Department principal deputy spokesperson Vedant Patel on Thursday said that Pakistan is one of the most important partners of the United States in the region.

Briefing the newsmen in Washington, Vedant Patel said: “Pakistan continues to be one of our most important partners in the region.”

Replying to a question, he said that there continues to be a lot of cooperation that the US have with the Government of Pakistan, especially in the security space and the trade sector.

Vedant Patel said that Pakistan Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb during his visit to the United States earlier this month also held consultations with members of the State Department. This is a robust relationship and we’ll look to continue strengthening it, he said.

Replying to another question, he said that we have been clear with countries around the world the integral role that a free press plays in the fabric of democracy. That’s why we come up here and take questions regularly.