Pakistan summons US ambassador over Biden's nuclear remarks

AFP / John Macdougall

Pakistan's foreign minister summoned the US ambassador after President Joe Biden said the country is "maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world" as it has "nuclear weapons without any cohesion".

Biden made the remarks in a speech on Thursday.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said he was surprised by the comments. "As far as the question of the safety and security of Pakistan's nuclear assets are concerned, we meet all – each and every – international standard in accordance with the IAEA," he said at a press conference on Saturday.

The White House published a transcript of Biden's speech on its website.

Bhutto-Zardari said he didn't think the decision to summon the US ambassador would negatively affect relations with the United States and said officials could address any specific concerns Washington had on the nuclear programme.

Ties between Islamabad and Washington, once close allies, have just started to warm after some years of frosty relations, mostly due to concerns about Pakistan's alleged support of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Pakistan denies this support.

The foreign minister said worries about Pakistan's nuclear programme were not raised on his recent trip to Washington, where he held extensive meetings, including at the State Department.

More from International news

  • US prosecutors to seek death penalty for Luigi Mangione

    U.S. Attorney General Pamela Bondi directed federal prosecutors to seek the death penalty for Luigi Mangione, the man accused of shooting and killing the CEO of UnitedHealth Group's insurance division Brian Thompson in New York last year.

  • UN warns window to find Myanmar quake survivors closing

    Aid groups in Myanmar on Tuesday described scenes of devastation and desperation after an earthquake that killed more than 2,700 people, stressing an urgent need for food, water and shelter and warning the window to find survivors was fast closing.

  • Trump administration begins mass layoffs at health agencies

    The Trump administration has fired staff at U.S. health agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health, as it embarked on its plan to cut 10,000 health jobs, according to sources familiar with the situation and a health official.

  • Israel says it 'eliminated' Hezbollah operative in Beirut strike

    The Israeli military said it killed a Hezbollah operative in an airstrike on Beirut's southern suburbs early on Tuesday, while three other people were reported killed and seven injured, further testing a shaky four-month ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

News