Federal Minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources Dr. Asim Hussain, has appreciated the cooperation extended by Polish Government in the Oil and Gas Sector.
He was talking to the Polish Economy Minister and Secretary of State of Ministry of Foreign Affairs at Warsaw, Poland. Proposals for establishment of a Chair on Geo-sciences in a Pakistani university, exchange of students and establishment of a research institute of hydrocarbon studies in Pakistan were discussed in the meeting.
The Polish government promised to favorably consider offering scholarships to Pakistani students in the University of Mining in Krakow, Poland. A team of Pakistani experts will soon visit Poland to further discuss the proposals discussed in order to establish long term relations in the hydrocarbon sector.
Dr Asim Hussain participated in a conference to explore the venues of cooperation in oil and gas sector especially in shale gas. The event which was organized by Polish Oil and Gas Company (PGNIG), was also attended by the officials of the two Ministries besides senior management of Polish Geological Institute. The Minister later paid a visit to the PGNIG’s Headquarter in Warsaw where he held a meeting with the senior officials of the company and discussed ways of increasing cooperation in the energy field.
Pakistan and Poland enjoy strong economic and commercial relations. Last year bilateral trade amounting to $210 million with a 24 per cent surge from the previous year was observed. A number of Pakistani companies have opened their offices in Poland to cater for the regional European market. Poland is considered as the largest shale gas repository and prominent geological surveying and exploration companies have business and investment relations with Pakistan. This visit of the Federal Minister is expected to further open the avenues of long term cooperation in the traditional and non-conventional sources of energy.
