With the exchange of a diplomatic note between the representatives of the two governments, Pakistan and the United States extended their agreement on science and technology cooperation for a further five years on Wednesday, marking an important development.
Jason Donovan, the director of the Office of Science and Technology Cooperation in the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs (OES/STC), US Department of State, and Masood Khan, the ambassador of Pakistan to the United States, both attended the ceremony.
The paperwork was traded by Michelle Sheckells from the US State Department and Muhammad Saad Ahmed on behalf of the government of Pakistan.
The agreement aims to improve the parties’ engineering, scientific, and technological capabilities; to deepen and broaden ties between the large scientific and technological communities of both nations; and to encourage scientific and technological cooperation for peaceful ends.
Under the terms of the agreement, the two parties will collaborate through the sharing of scientific and technical data, the movement of scientists and technical experts, the holding of joint seminars and meetings, the training of scientists and technical experts, the execution of joint research projects, educational exchanges involving science, technology, and engineering, the creation of public-private partnerships based on science, as well as any other forms of scientific and technological cooperation that may be appropriate.
The two nations’ Agreement on Science and Technology Cooperation was signed on June 25, 2003, and since then, it has been renewed every five years.
Ambassador Masood Khan welcomed the extension of the agreement and stated that it will provide a framework for fostering collaboration between scientists, engineers, and technology professionals of the two nations to address issues related to climate change, energy, agriculture, and IT.
He expressed the expectation that an atmosphere of cooperation in science and technology would open the door to a thorough discussion between the two nations in order to create a powerful partnership in those fields.