Welcoming the nomination of Donald Armin Blome as US Ambassador to Pakistan, the senator called for a serious conversation with the Imran Khan government on the path forward in bilateral relations.

“Islamabad offered a safe haven to the Taliban even as its militants targeted and killed US troops. We need to have a serious conversation with the Pakistani Government in our path forward,” Menendez was quoted as saying news agency ANI.

The senator, who is chairing a hearing of US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on ambassadorial nominations to Pakistan, India and Germany, further said, “As I told this committee last month, the failure of our mission in Afghanistan was due, in a small part, to years of Pakistani double-dealing.”

We welcome your (Blome as US Ambassador to Pakistan) nomination at this particularly challenging moment in US-Pakistan bilateral relationship,” he added.

Speaking about the nomination of Eric Garcetti as US Ambassador to India, Menendez said, “ As a member of Quad, alongside US-Japan-Australia, India is playing a greater role in helping maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific. In September, the Joe Biden administration hosted the first–ever in-person Quad Summit.”