Pakistan, July 26 -- United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio lauded Pakistan's role in "global and regional peace" in his first meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday, the Foreign Office (FO) said.

The deputy prime minister arrived in Washington, DC, on Thursday night, on the second leg of his eight-day visit to the US. He had arrived in New York on Monday to attend "high-level signature events" of Pakistan's United Nations Security Council (UNSC) presidency, including a conference on Palestine.

A statement issued by the FO said that Dar held his first meeting with Rubio. The two have previously talked over the telephone.

The FO said Rubio acknowledged Pakistan's "everlasting sacrifices in the ...