Washington: The United States has said that it will continue to work with Pakistan towards improving the vitally important bilateral relationship, which saw significant challenges throughout the year. The State Department’s comments came amid strains on the bilateral relationship over November 26 NATO cross-border attacks on Mohmand check-posts, which resulted in death of 24 Pakistani soldiers. “We desire a closer, more productive relationship with Pakistan both militarily and as well as politically. And we’re constantly working to build that closer cooperation. As I said, we’ve been very forthright in acknowledging that this is a relationship that needs to work,” acting spokesman Mark Toner said. He was asked as to how confident he felt that 2012 would be better for the relationship between the two countries than the current year, which began with the killing of two Pakistanis by CIA contractor Raymond Davis in Lahore, saw more tensions following the May 2 unilateral U.S. raid on al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden’s hideout in Abbottabad and is now ending with differences over findings of an American investigation into November 26 air strikes. “We’ve been, I think, pretty candid in saying that there have been some significant obstacles throughout this year in the…