BRUSSELS: Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Thursday that Pakistan has extensive experience in the safe operation of nuclear power plants and is ready to share its experience for peaceful objectives of nuclear technology.
Addressing the first Nuclear Security Summit in Brussels, the foreign minister said Islamabad has 100 reactor-years’ experience in safely operating nuclear power plants as Pakistan’s first nuclear power plant was set up in Karachi in 1960.
He said that currently, 6 nuclear power plants are working in Pakistan, adding that due to domestic energy demand, the nuclear power sector is being preferred.
The foreign minister said that at this time, the world needs affordable energy and environmentally friendly cheap nuclear energy is the best option.
Pakistan Values Partnership with IAEA
He said that sustainable steps are indispensable for solving energy problems. Pakistan always valued partnership with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), hoping to extend cooperation with it.
Ishaq Dar said that we have three IAEA collaborating centers for nuclear safety and security, food and agriculture, and Applications of Innovative Nuclear Technologies. We wish to further increase our cooperation on initiatives of DG IAEA including Atoms4Food’, ‘Rays of Hope’, ‘Atoms4NetZero’, ‘Zodiac’, ‘NUTEC Plastics’ and ‘Marie Curie fellowships’.
He said that the summit is in place in times of increasing energy demands and associated supply-side challenges triggered by contestations, wars, and climate change concerns. For both developed and developing nations, energy security is a top priority.
Dar stressed the need for clean and affordable energy, underlining nuclear energy as a viable solution due to its environmental friendliness.
Emphasizing the significance of clean and affordable energy, he said that energy security was a top priority for developing and progressive countries, necessitating sustainable actions to address energy issues.
Dar also expressed gratitude to the Belgian government and the IAEA for convening the summit.
