WASHINGTON, Aug 28: The United States said on Friday that it looks forward to working closely with the prime minister-elect Shaukat Aziz. "We welcome the election of Shaukat Aziz as Pakistan's next prime minister ," a State Department official told Dawn.

"We appreciated the opportunity to work closely with former prime minister, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain," the official added.

The United States, she said, was committed to a 'strong, deep and long-term relationship with Pakistan'.