ISLAMABAD, MAR 22 /DNA/ – Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar visited Brussels, Belgium on 21 March 2024 to participate in the First Nuclear Energy Summit.
Addressing the Summit, the Foreign Minister highlighted Pakistan’s achievements in peaceful uses of nuclear technology particularly in the generation of electricity. He underscored the importance of nuclear energy to address the challenges of climate mitigation and adaptation. He stressed that as a country severely affected by climate change and climate-induced disasters, Pakistan was keen to diversify its energy mix with low-carbon energy sources.
The Foreign Minister called for enhanced international cooperation, including technical assistance and provision of financial assistance by multilateral financial institutions, to ensure energy security of developing countries. He reiterated Pakistan’s readiness to share its experience and expertise in the field of civilian nuclear technology with other countries, particularly the developing States.
In his meeting with Director General IAEA, Rafael Mariano Grossi, the Foreign Minister appreciated IAEA’s role in enhancing peaceful uses of nuclear technology. He expressed Pakistan’s commitment to enhancing the share of nuclear energy in the energy mix and underscored the importance of technical cooperation of the Agency to which Pakistan is also making significant contributions. Foreign Minister Dar stressed that international financial institutions and banks should support nuclear energy projects in developing countries to enable them to meet their energy needs and achieve zero emissions goals.
The Foreign Minister also held bilateral meetings with Chinese Vice Premier, Zhang Guoqing, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, Bayramov Jeyhun, the Foreign Minister of Turkiye, Hakan Fidan and the UAE Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Almazrouel Suhail. In these meetings, discussions focused on enhancing bilateral relations and exploring new avenues of cooperation.
Co-hosted by the Prime Minister of Belgium and Director General IAEA, the Summit provided an important platform for engaging world leaders in exploring cooperation in nuclear energy, reducing the use of fossil fuels, and boosting economic development. It was also an important occasion to further strengthen Pakistan’s engagement with IAEA on nuclear science, applications and power
