The US has congratulated Pakistan’s new Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and said it values the bilateral relationship and is looking forward to continuing the long-standing cooperation, signalling Washington’s intent to improve ties with Islamabad under the new regime.

Pakistan’s relations with the US have been lukewarm, especially under the Biden administration. The ties touched a new low after former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who was ousted last week through a parliament vote, accused the US of conspiring to dislodge his government. The US government has bluntly denied the allegations multiple times.

“Pakistan has been an important partner on wide-ranging mutual interests for nearly 75 years and we value our relationship,” secretary of state Antony Blinken said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The United States congratulates newly-elected Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and we look forward to continuing our long-standing cooperation with Pakistan’s government,” he said. Blinken said the US views a “strong, prosperous and democratic Pakistan as essential for the interests of both of the countries”.

Responding to Blinken’s statement, the Pakistan Prime Minister’s Office said it welcomed Washington’s reaffirmation of the long-standing ties with Islamabad.

“The new government wishes to constructively and positively engage with the US to promote shared goals of peace, security and development in the region,” it tweeted.

“We look forward to deepening this important relationship on the principles of equality, mutual interest and mutual benefit,” the Dawn newspaper reported, quoting the social media statement.

Blinken’s comments came a day after Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said that the US had a “healthy military-to-military relationship with Pakistan’s armed forces”, adding that “we have every expectation that will be able to continue to be the case”.

“We recognise that Pakistan plays a key role in the region. We recognise that Pakistan and the Pakistani people are, themselves, victims of terrorist attacks inside their own country. We recognise that we have shared interests with Pakistan with respect to security and stability in that part of the world,” Kirby said on Tuesday.

Pakistan’s ties with the US came particularly were already under stress since February when former Prime Minister Khan went ahead with his planned trip to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, which coincided with Russia’s military onslaught of Ukraine.