BRUSSELS: Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi on sidelines of Nuclear Energy Summit here.

Foreign Minister appreciated IAEA’s role in enhancing peaceful uses of nuclear technology and for organising first ever Nuclear Energy Summit. He highlighted that as founder member, Pakistan attached great importance to Agency’s work.

Dar highlighted importance of nuclear energy in combatting climate change and Pakistan’s desire to enhance share of nuclear energy in energy mix. He underscored importance of technical cooperation work of Agency to which Pakistan was also making significant contribution.

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. He urged IAEA to continue its role in sensitising world about importance of nuclear energy as clean source.  IAEA DG appreciated Pakistan’s collaboration with agency.

He added that in Asia, Pakistan was playing key role in sharing experience and expertise with developing countries. He agreed financing of nuclear projects was an issue and that he would soon engage with international financial institutions to resolve issue.

IAEA DG fondly recalled his visit to Pakistan last year, when he had firsthand experience of visiting Pakistan’s facilities and witnessing Pakistan’s progress in field of peaceful applications of nuclear technology.

Earlier, Ishaq Dar said that Pakistan has extensive experience in safe operation of nuclear power plants and is ready to share its experience for peaceful purposes of nuclear technology.

Addressing first Nuclear Security Summit here, Foreign Minister said Pakistan has 100 reactor-years’ experience in safely operating nuclear power plants as Pakistan’s first nuclear power plant was built in Karachi in 1960.

Ishaq Dar said that currently, six nuclear power plants are working in Pakistan, adding that given domestic energy demand, nuclear power sector is being preferred.

Published in The Daily National Courier, March, 22 2024

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