Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif briefly met with US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden during the president’s reception in New York on Saturday.

The meeting was “most warm and cordial,” the premier said in a social media post.

Both the leaders had the meeting during the United Nations General Assembly session. PM Shehbaz delivered his speech on Friday while President Biden addressed the session on Tuesday.

Pakistan and the US have longstanding ties and both sides have called for enhancing the relationship. It merits here to mention that the US is the top destination of Pakistani exports.

“We reaffirmed our common desire to enhance cooperation in key areas including trade, investment, technology, & climate action,” PM Shehbaz said.

Earlier this week, US Assistant Secretary of State Donald Lu conveyed optimism regarding the strengthening of the United States’ relationship with the government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Lu, who previously raised concerns to former Pakistani ambassador to the US Asad Majeed—an issue that became central to a cipher linked to allegations of a US conspiracy to remove former Prime Minister Imran Khan—shared his thoughts in an interview with ARY News on Tuesday.

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“We have a very strong relationship with Shehbaz Sharif’s government and with the Pakistani people. We look forward to strengthening that bond year after year,” Lu stated when asked about the current state of bilateral relations.

While addressing Pakistan’s economic situation, Lu expressed that the US was “very encouraged” by the ongoing economic recovery in the country. He mentioned a recent meeting with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, who provided insights into the “very serious plans and reforms” being implemented by the federal government.