The Pakistani government issued a praise-heavy readout of a phone call between President-elect Donald Trump and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif that, if as described, is a much more pleasant tone compared to pre-POTUS Trump on the south Asian country.
The Ministry of Information said Wednesday that Sharif called Trump to congratulate him on his victory.
“President Trump said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif you have a very good reputation. You are a terrific guy. You are doing amazing work which is visible in every way. I am looking forward to see you soon,” the readout continued. “As I am talking to you Prime Minister, I feel I am talking to a person I have known for long. Your country is amazing with tremendous opportunities. Pakistanis are one of the most intelligent people. I am ready and willing to play any role that you want me to play to address and find solutions to the outstanding problems. It will be an honor and I will personally do it. Feel free to call me any time even before 20th January that is before I assume my office.”
Sharif invited Trump to visit Pakistan, the government said, adding that “Trump said that he would love to come to a fantastic country, fantastic place of fantastic people.”
“Please convey to the Pakistani people that they are amazing and all Pakistanis I have known are exceptional people, said Mr. Donald Trump,” the readout concluded.
On Jan. 17, 2012, Trump tweeted, “’Get it straight: Pakistan is not our friend. We’ve given them billions and billions of dollars, and what did we get? Betrayal and disrespect—and much worse.’ #TimeToGetTough”
Later that year:
When will Pakistan apologize to us for providing safe sanctuary to Osama Bin Laden for 6 years?! Some “ally.”
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 5, 2012
At a transition briefing Wednesday, Republican National Committee communications director Sean Spicer confirmed Trump’s call with Pakistan and with the leader of Kazakhstan.
“At this point, he and the vice president-elect have now had conversations with over 44 world leaders,” Spicer said.
In the Trump team’s readout of the call, Sharif and Trump “had a productive conversation about how the United States and Pakistan will have a strong working relationship in the future.”
“President-elect Trump also noted that he is looking forward to a lasting and strong personal relationship with Prime Minister Sharif,” the transition office added.
Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer told CNN it was “entirely inappropriate for the Pakistani government to release what an American president or president-elect says in the course of a phone call.”
“If they had done that to me, I’d be on the phone right now with their press secretary chewing them out, the ambassador would be on the phone with the ambassador chewing the ambassador up and up and down the chain,” Fleischer said. “What they did in Pakistan was a bad thing to do. Do you want everybody releasing phone calls like that? He may have said some other things to other leaders too. So Pakistan might be doing to maneuver about India to show ‘we’re really good friends with Donald Trump.'”
There’s been no indication of a call yet between Trump and India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been leading Trump in the TIME magazine Person of the Year readers’ poll, but Trump reportedly praised the prime minister when meeting with Indian business partners at Trump Tower after the election.
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