Washington, Apr 14 (PTI) The United States has congratulated the new Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif and said it is looking forward to working with him.

Pakistan has been an important partner on wide-ranging mutual interests for nearly 75 years and we value our relationship, Secretary of State Tony Blinken said on Wednesday.

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“The United States congratulates newly-elected Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and we look forward to continuing our long-standing cooperation with Pakistan's government,” Blinken said in a statement.

“The United States views a strong, prosperous, and democratic Pakistan as essential for the interests of both of our countries,” he said days after Sharif took the oath of office and replaced Imran Khan as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan.

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(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)