BRUSSELS: Highlighting the importance of nuclear energy in combating climate change, Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Thursday called for the international financial institutions and banks to support nuclear energy projects in developing countries to enable them to meet their energy needs and achieve zero emissions goals.

Mr Dar stated this during his meeting with Intern­ational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi on the sidelines of the first Nuclear Energy Summit held in Brussels.

The minister appreciated the IAEA’s role in enhancing peaceful uses of nuclear technology.

He said Pakistan desired to enhance the share of nuclear energy in the energy mix and underscored the importance of IAEA’s technical cooperation work.

FM Dar attends first Nuclear Energy Summit in Brussels

Mr Grossi appreciated Pakistan’s collaboration with the agency, adding that in Asia Pakistan is playing a key role in sharing its experience and expertise with developing countries. He said he would soon engage with global financial institutions to resolve the matter.

Clean energy

Meanwhile, in a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Dar said energy security stands high on global priorities — for both developing and the developed world.

“We need clean and cost-effective energy. With immense power density, negligible carbon footprints and no Greenhouse emissions, nuclear energy offers a viable solution for the future,” the statement quoted the minister as saying. “We endorsed nuclear energy as one of the low-emission technologies in the recent COP-28,” he pointed out.

The minister said, “We wish to further enhance our cooperation on initiatives of DG IAEA including ‘Atoms­4NetZero’, ‘Atoms4Food’, ‘Rays of Hope’, ‘Zodiac’, ‘NUTEC Plastics’ and ‘Marie Curie fellowships’.”

Mr Dar emphasised three points for further development of nuclear energy — access to technology, financing nuclear power projects and increasing the IAEA’s technical cooperation fund.

Mr Dar also held a meeting with Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov on the margins of the summit.

The two sides exchanged views on prospects of cooperation in the fields of economy, transport and communication and on preparatory work for climate summit in Azerbaijan and post-conflict regional situation.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2024