World News | Democracy Summit Invitation by US a Test for Pakistan's Diplomacy
Get latest articles and stories on World at LatestLY. The democracy summit in Washington beginning on Tuesday would be a test for Pakistan's diplomacy as the cash-strapped country would look to rekindle ties with the US without irking its longtime ally China, according to a media report.
Islamabad, Mar 27 (PTI) The democracy summit in Washington beginning on Tuesday would be a test for Pakistan's diplomacy as the cash-strapped country would look to rekindle ties with the US without irking its longtime ally China, according to a media report.
Like the first democracy summit in 2021, both India and Pakistan have been invited to the summit.
Pakistan had opted out of the first summit, reportedly on the back of the Biden administration's refusal to reach out to the then-prime minister Imran Khan.
The Dawn newspaper reported from Washington that for the cash-starved Pakistan, the summit could be a major opportunity to win over the US support for raising funds from international lenders and bilateral donors.
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But Pakistan's long-standing ally and "all-weather friend" China would be closely monitoring these overtures as the US has already annoyed Beijing by inviting Taiwan, China's long-standing nemesis.
Beijing would want Pakistan to opt out of the "controversial" moot but doing so will send negative signals to the US at a time when Islamabad wants Washington to be on its side to help secure a deal with the International Monetary Fund.
The decision to keep Turkiye, a close friend of Pakistan, out of the summit was another cause of concern for Islamabad.
“One would expect Pakistan to pass again, assuming Taiwan is there, in deference to China,” said Michael Kugelman, a scholar of South Asian affairs at the Wilson Centre, Washington.
“While very unlikely, I wouldn't completely rule out Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari making an appearance,” Kugelman said. “He's been a very frequent visitor to the US lately.”
When contacted, officials at the Pakistan Embassy in Washington told Dawn they had not heard anything from Islamabad yet.
“Since it's mostly a virtual meeting, Pakistan still has time to decide,” one of the embassy officials said. “The participation can be confirmed on Monday as well.”
The virtual summit has been co-sponsored by the US Department of State and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on the theme of "Global Declaration of Mayors for Democracy".
The event will showcase the role of cities and sub-national governments in the affirmation of democratic values and the renewal of democracy worldwide.
From March 29-30, the US will co-host the second "Summit for Democracy" with the governments of Costa Rica, the Netherlands, the Republic of Korea, and the Republic of Zambia.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will participate in most of the events. On March 28, Blinken will chair a virtual panel session on "A Just and Lasting Peace in Ukraine" featuring Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
On March 29, the leader of each co-host government will participate in a virtual session.
“While democracy requires more than credible elections, they shape public perception of democracy's efficacy and are vital for expressing the will of the people,” said a document released by the US State Department before the summit.
“The integrity of a country's elections — in other words, the degree to which they conform to international standards — is important for a government's legitimacy, as well as domestic and international support,” the document added. The discussions will focus on efforts to end corruption in democratic nations.
There will be four sessions on each of the themes — International Cooperation for Anti-Corruption; Financial Transparency and Integrity; Non-governmental Stakeholder; and Technology and Anti-corruption.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)