Denmark to cooperate Pakistan in developing green energy infrastructure

Liaquat Ali

Islamabad: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and Danish Minister for Development Cooperation and Global Climate Policy Dan Jorgensen on Thursday agreed to enhance cooperation in building climate-resilient green energy infrastructure including wind energy to overcome the challenge of climate change and to resolve energy problems in Pakistan.

Talking to the media here after exchanging Joint Action Plan under Green Framework Engagement Agreement, the foreign minister said the agreement would set stage for joint initiatives and projects in renewable energy and green transition.

The minister hoped that policies would be formulated on behalf of the federal government to encourage international companies to invest in Pakistan’s wind and other green energy sectors.

He said Pakistan was facing climate change challenges and last summer, historic floods hit the country resulting in the loss of precious lives and property.

Bilawal said despite challenges, the two countries were working towards an energy transition and creating green resilient infrastructure for the people. “There are a lot of areas that we can benefit from this cooperation,” he added.

He said under the green framework agreement, the two countries would work together to overcome the challenge of climate change. It would also help create a healthy partnership in green framework that would also create more economic opportunities between the two countries.

The agreement, he said would also help Pakistan to become an energy independent and economically prosperous country.

The foreign minister said the Danish government had been a leading voice and leading advocate for the green energy transition of climate agenda within Europe and Pakistan.

He said partnering with the European countries on this ambitious agenda of green energy transition would not only have positive implications on Pakistan within the climate context but the economy as well.

Terming the agreement as very important, Danish Minister Dan Jorgensen said: “We share the same ambitions as we also want to fight climate change and both feel that international efforts to overcome the challenge are going too slow”.

He assured the foreign minister of his country’s full support in Pakistan’s fight against climate change. He also called upon the international community to cooperate with Pakistan in this regard.

He said Pakistan could be a superpower in wind energy keeping in view its location and wind potential. “We have decades of experience in wind energy, and we are ready to help Pakistan in this sector.”

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Pakistan and Denmark were facing the consequences of climate change in different scenarios as the latter was a developed country while Pakistan was a developing country.

“I think it is a good example of how a developing world and the developed world partner together to find solutions and work together to face the challenge,” he added.