ISLAMABAD: Rafael Mariano Grossi, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Wednesday labeled Pakistan as a “privileged partner,” saying that his agency would enhance cooperation with Islamabad both as a recipient and provider of safe nuclear technology.
Grossi is in Islamabad on a two-day visit to attend bilateral meetings and visit different institutions that make use of nuclear technology in health, agriculture, industry, and power generation.
The IAEA, an intergovernmental body, promotes safe and peaceful nuclear technology internationally. As a collaborative effort with its members and partners, it focuses on advancing the development of nuclear energy while ensuring its security and safety.
According to the foreign office, Pakistan is one of the founding members of the agency since 1957 and enjoys longstanding and mutually beneficial collaboration with it.
“Pakistan is our privileged partner and we are working to enhance the cooperation,” Grossi told reporters after his visit to the Nuclear Medicine Oncology and Radiotherapy Institute (NORI) in Islamabad.
During his visit, the IAEA chief inaugurated the state-of-the-art CyberKnife machine, a fully robotic radiotherapy device.
Grossi said the IAEA had launched a special “Rays of Hope” program over the past year to expand radiotherapy, with a particular focus on developing countries. He added Pakistan could play a very important role in this program as it has “top-notch service centers.
“And we have this wonderful technology and you have good technology and wonderful professionals,” he said. “So we can provide technology and from Pakistan, we can take professionals who can serve not only in Pakistan but other countries as well,” Grossi added.
The IAEA chief separately met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to discuss bilateral energy cooperation.
“The Prime Minister expressed Pakistan’s full support for various projects and programs of the Agency and conveyed Pakistan’s keenness to expand its footprints in the Agency’s work both as a recipient and provider of expertise and technical assistance,” the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said in a statement after the meeting.
Sharif highlighted the impact climate change has had on Pakistan and its challenges, such as water, energy, and food security. The premier stressed the need for greater collaboration with the IAEA in terms of research on new high-yield and drought-resistant varieties of crops, the PMO added.
“Prime Minister further noted the contribution of nuclear power generation to Pakistan’s energy mix as a cleaner and more affordable source of energy,” the PMO said.
The statement added that the IAEA Director General agreed to the need for expanding applications of nuclear technology in countries like Pakistan to address a whole suite of climate-related challenges.
He expressed his appreciation for the good work of agricultural research institutions in Pakistan, including the Nuclear Institute for Agriculture & Biology (NIAB), which is one of the IAEA’s collaborating centers in Pakistan.
FM Bhutto-Zardari emphasized the importance of using atomic energy in health, agriculture industry, and power sector in his meeting with Grossi.
Speaks to Arab News, a Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) spokesperson, Shahid Riaz Khan said the delegation would visit NIAB and National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetics Engineering (NIBGE) in Faisalabad on Thursday.
There, he said, the IAEA chief would also inaugurate Zodac Lab, which is doing research on zoonotic diseases spread by animals.