US state honors Pakistan’s envoy with honarary citizenship

WASHINGTON: Georgia State Assembly has conferred on Masood Khan, Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States, Georgia’s Honorary Citizenship, reflecting the growing US-Pak ties.

Representative Farooq Mughal had piloted a resolution in the assembly in March this year for the establishment of state-province relations between Georgia and Pakistan’s Sindh.

Representatives from both sides of the aisle welcomed Ambassador Khan when he arrived at the Georgia State Assembly.

Speaking on the occasion, representative Farooq Mughal highlighted the growing trade ties between Pakistan and Georgia, including an investment of more than $200 million in the economic field.

Senator James Beverly said that they were looking forward to forging a strong relationship with Pakistan not only for today but for the future.

State Rep. Clay Pirkle called Pakistan a “valuable partner.” He said that there was a huge scope to further strengthen bilateral ties in diverse fields, especially the agriculture sector.

Masood Khan thanked Representative Farooq Mughal and his colleagues for the warm welcome at the State Assembly. He said that the presence and proactive role being played by Representative Farooq Mughal and Representative Saira Draper — both of Pakistani origin — was a matter of a great pride for Pakistan and Pakistani diaspora in the United States.

Masood Khan pointed out that manufacturing, automobiles and agriculture sector provided a solid base for forging robust trade ties and partnership between the two sides.

“With our strong agricultural base and enhanced focus on research especially hybrid seeds, climate and weather resistance crops and others, our universities and research institute can collaborate to enhance productivity and ensure food security,” he said.

Terming Sister-Province Relations between Georgia and Sindh a landmark development, the Ambassador underscored the need for taking full advantage of the available opportunities to achieve concrete outcomes.

On the importance of bringing the two peoples closer to each other, the Ambassador stressed that the two sides must continue investing in people-centric diplomacy.

Reiterating his call for partnership among universities of the two sides, Ambassador Khan said that Pakistan was keen to imbibe the rich ambiance of Georgia, especially in the area of new technologies AI, robotics, Internet of Things and other areas.