ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Japan have reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation in petroleum development, geosciences and mineral research, as Minister for Petroleum Ali Pervaiz Malik hosted Japanese Ambassador Akamatsu Shuichi at the Geoscience Advance Research Laboratories (GARL) of the Geological Survey of Pakistan on Tuesday.
During the visit, the petroleum minister highlighted the decades-long scientific collaboration between the two countries, describing the establishment and strengthening of GARL as a landmark example of bilateral cooperation supported by the government of Japan and the Japan International Cooperation Agency.
“Pakistan is actively modernising its mineral sector and moving away from primitive exploration and extraction techniques toward advanced technologies that ensure sustainability, efficiency and greater value addition,” the minister said.
Officials screened a documentary highlighting the history, modernisation and present-day capabilities of GARL before the delegation toured multiple laboratory sections and interacted with scientists and technical experts.
Ambassador Akamatsu praised Pakistan’s efforts to strengthen its scientific and research infrastructure and reaffirmed Japan’s interest in expanding technical cooperation and scientific exchange in the geosciences sector.
Both sides expressed satisfaction over the ongoing engagement between the Geological Survey of Pakistan and JICA, particularly in areas such as advanced analytical sciences, laboratory methodologies, scientific workflows, and technical capacity development.
The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment from both countries to further enhance Pakistan-Japan collaboration in the petroleum and mineral research sectors.
Senior officials from the Petroleum Division, Geological Survey of Pakistan, Embassy of Japan and JICA Pakistan Office also attended the event.
