Photo released by Pakistan's Press Information Department (PID) on Dec. 4, 2017 shows Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi (4th R) attends a meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis (3rd L) in Islamabad, capital of Pakistan. (Xinhua/PID)
ISLAMABAD, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis arrived in Pakistan on Monday for talks on bilateral and regional matters with focuses on anti-terrorism cooperation and Pakistan's role in peace in Afghanistan, officials here said.
Mattis is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and the Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in his day-long visit. It was Mattis' first trip to Pakistan as defense secretary.
The Pentagon said Mattis' visit aimed to continue the dialogue between the two sides about the South Asia strategy that U.S. President Donald Trump announced in August.
"The U.S. remains committed to a pragmatic relationship that expands ... cooperation on shared interests while reinforcing President Trump's call for action against terrorist safe havens," the Pentagon quoted the secretary as saying earlier, adding that the visit is "a continued dialogue, in what our vision is for the Afghan peace process."
Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman Muhammad Faisal has said the visit of the U.S. defense chief is part of the continued interaction between the two countries.
"This clearly indicates that dialogue between both the countries to bridge gap in perceptions is ongoing. We are trying to find common grounds and move forward in our bilateral relationship with the U.S. in a positive and cooperative manner," the spokesman said last week at his weekly briefing.
Regarding the U.S. policy on South Asia, the spokesman said "there was a difference in understanding and perceptions on both sides."
He added that thereafter, a dialogue started by a meeting between Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly this year.
Mattis is the second senior U.S. official to travel to Pakistan after Trump declared strategy for Afghanistan and South Asia.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Pakistan in October for talks over the new policy, which the United States claims will defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan and to pressurize them to join peace process.
