Pakistan, Japan discuss expanding cooperation in geosciences and mineral research

Federal Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik and Japanese Ambassador to Pakistan Akamatsu Shuichi discussed expanding cooperation in geosciences and mineral research during a visit to the Geoscience Advanced Research Laboratories of the Geological Survey of Pakistan.

During the visit, the minister highlighted the longstanding scientific partnership between Pakistan and Japan in geosciences and mineral exploration.

Ali Pervaiz Malik appreciated the support provided by the Japanese government and the Japan International Cooperation Agency in establishing and strengthening the Geoscience Advance Research Laboratories, describing the initiative as a major example of bilateral scientific cooperation.

The minister said Pakistan was upgrading its mineral sector and moving towards modern exploration and extraction technologies to improve productivity, sustainability and value addition in the mining industry.

A documentary outlining the history, development and current capabilities of the laboratories was screened during the visit, followed by a tour of different laboratory sections and interactions with scientists from the Geological Survey of Pakistan.

Ambassador Akamatsu Shuichi appreciated Pakistan’s efforts to strengthen scientific infrastructure and reaffirmed Japan’s interest in expanding technical cooperation and scientific exchange in the geoscience sector.

Both sides expressed satisfaction over ongoing technical engagement between the Geological Survey of Pakistan and JICA on possible future cooperation in advanced analytical sciences, laboratory methodologies, scientific workflows and technical capacity building.

Officials from the Petroleum Division, Geological Survey of Pakistan, Embassy of Japan and JICA Pakistan Office also attended the visit.