ISLAMABAD   -  Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi yesterday said that Pakistan was optimistic about the much anticipated meeting between Prime Minister Imran Khan and US President Donald Trump.

Speaking to Charge d’Affaires of the US Embassy Paul Jones here, Qureshi said Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to the US will “further strengthen bilateral ties between Pakistan and the US.”

“They discussed matters of mutual interest including the upcoming visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan to the US, Pak-US relations, and Afghan peace process,” an official statement said. Qureshi said Pakistan will continue playing its reconciliatory role in Afghan peace process under collective responsibility. “Both the sides agreed to continue cooperation on the Afghan peace process, fortifying bilateral relations and achieving shared objectives in the region,” said the statement.

Last day, the US confirmed that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s meeting with President Donald Trump had been fixed officially on July 22.

“President Donald Trump will welcome Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan to the White House on July 22,” a White House statement said. Khan and Trump, it said, will discuss a range of issues, including counter-terrorism, defence, energy and trade with the goal of creating the conditions for a peaceful South Asia. The top-level meeting comes as the US is seeking Pakistan’s help in finding a way out of neighbouring Afghanistan, where American forces are now in their 18th year of war. Islamabad takes credit for facilitating an ongoing direct peace dialogue between Washington and the Taliban to promote a negotiated end to the Afghan war. The talks began nearly a year ago and a new round is under way in Qatar.

Both Taliban and American negotiators say they have come close to finalizing a draft text that could pave the way for ending the longest overseas US military intervention.