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ISLAMABAD, March 27 (PTI) The democracy summit in Washington, which begins on Tuesday, will be a test of Pakistani diplomacy as the cash-strapped country looks to reconnect with the United States without angering its longtime ally China, media reported. relation.
As with the inaugural Democracy Summit in 2021, both India and Pakistan were invited to the summit.
Pakistan reportedly opted out of the first summit because of the Biden administration’s refusal to engage with then-Prime Minister Imran Khan.
For cash-strapped Pakistan, the summit could be an important opportunity to secure US support for raising funds from international lenders and bilateral donors, The Dawn newspaper reported from Washington.
Read also | North Korean girls exploited in China ‘red zone’ – report.
But China, Pakistan’s longtime ally and “all-weather friend”, will be watching the proposals closely, as Beijing has already been angered by the US invitation to China’s longtime foe Taiwan.
Beijing wants Pakistan to opt out of the “contentious” discussions, but doing so would send a negative signal to the US at a time when Islamabad wants Washington to side with it to help secure a deal with the IMF.
The decision to exclude Pakistani confidant Turkiye from the summit is another cause for concern in Islamabad.
“Assuming Taiwan is there, one would expect Pakistan to pass again to respect China,” said Michael Kugelman, a scholar on South Asian affairs at the Wilson Center in Washington.
“While unlikely, I would not completely rule out the possibility of an appearance by the foreign minister, Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari,” Kugelman said. “He’s been a frequent visitor to America lately.”
When contacted, officials at the Pakistani embassy in Washington told Dawn they had not heard anything from Islamabad.
“As this is mostly a virtual meeting, there is still time for Pakistan to make a decision,” an embassy official said. “Participation can also be confirmed on Monday.”
The virtual summit, co-hosted by the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), is themed “Global Mayors’ Declaration on Democracy.”
The event will showcase the role of cities and local governments in the affirmation of democratic values and the revival of democracy around the world.
On March 29-30, the United States will co-host the second “Democracy Summit” with the governments of Costa Rica, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, and the Republic of Zambia.
U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will attend most of the event. On March 28, Blinken will chair a virtual panel on “A Just and Lasting Peace in Ukraine,” chaired by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
On March 29, the leaders of each co-hosting government will participate in a virtual meeting.
“While democracy requires more than credible elections, they shape public perception of its effectiveness and are critical to expressing the will of the people,” said a State Department document released ahead of the summit.
“The fairness of a country’s elections — in other words, the degree to which they meet international standards — is important to the government’s legitimacy and domestic and international support,” the document added. Discussions will focus on efforts to end corruption in democracies.
Four sessions will be held on each theme – International Anti-Corruption Cooperation; Financial Transparency and Integrity; Non-Government Stakeholders; Technology and Anti-Corruption.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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