Islamabad: New US Ambassador Donald Blome will arrive in Pakistan on Monday, the first envoy to the country in four years.

US President Joe Biden had appointed Blome as the country’s ambassador to Pakistan in October and the US Senate confirmed his appointment on March 3. Blome will be the first full-time ambassador to Pakistan since August 2018 when American envoy David Hale returned home after completing his term.

The appointment of a full-time ambassador would boost bilateral ties between the countries.

Blome on May 18 took oath as the US Ambassador to Pakistan. US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, who administered the oath of the office, described the new ambassador as a “stellar choice to build upon 75 years of US-Pakistan relations”.

Donald Blome previously served as US Ambassador to Tunisia, according to the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs.

“Amb Blome looks forward to strengthening broad cooperation with Pakistan. Both countries seek strong partnerships particularly on health, clean energy, trade, & investment, with a commitment to promote transparent, high-quality investments funded via sustainable financing,” said a statement on May 18.

In an interview with Associated Press last week, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that Pakistan must continue to engage with the US at all levels. The foreign minister gave the interview after attending the global food summit and meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

In his brief remarks to the media prior to their meeting, Secretary Blinken said that it was an significant opportunity for them to talk about the many issues they were working on together.

“We want to focus on the work we’re doing to strengthen economic and commercial ties between the United States and Pakistan, of course, focused on regional security,” he added.