ISLAMABAD, Jan 6: Pakistan and Syria here on Thursday agreed on mutual cooperation and exchange of experts in the field of science and technology.

Presiding over a meeting of Pakistan-Syria Joint Committee on Science and Technology Cooperation, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Nouraiz Shakoor stressed on the need to strengthen science and technology capacities by pooling resources and promoting mutual cooperation.

A five-member Syrian delegation headed by Dr Mohammed Najib Abdul Wahed, Deputy Minister for Higher Education and Scientific Research, attended the meeting. Mr Shakoor said Pakistan was playing an active role at the international level in the projects of Comstech and other OIC organizations, UN agencies, Saarc, ASEAN, European Union, Non- Aligned Movement and ECO, etc.

Pakistan has already signed agreements on science and technology cooperation with 30 countries, he said. The Syrian minister said he was looking forward for an active and sustainable cooperation from Pakistan.

He said a strategy for success and development in the 21st century should be based on the principle of competition and cooperation, which would benefit both the sides. Federal Secretary for Science and Technology Khawaja Zaheer Ahmed said development of science and technology was a prerequisite for global competition.

The meeting decided to arrange workshops alternately in Syria and Pakistan biannually. The first workshop would be held in Syria titled Cultivation and processing of fruits and cotton.

The second one would be held in Pakistan on Science and technology planning and research project management. Project proposals were discussed in the fields of agriculture, pharmaceutical sciences, water resources and oceanography, etc.