��������

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Poland on Thursday agreed to expand their $1 billion bilateral trade while signing two memorandums of understanding (MoU) to enhance cooperation between their foreign ministries and research institutes.

The agreements were signed during the visit of Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, who is in Islamabad for talks focused on broadening collaboration in trade, energy, defense and education.

One MoU was inked between the foreign ministries of both countries, and another between Pakistan’s Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad and Poland’s Polish Institute of International Affairs.

“We have over a billion dollars in bilateral trade and both sides agreed that there remains immense untapped potential to further expand trade and economic cooperation,” Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said at a joint news conference. “We agreed to expand bilateral cooperation in trade, energy, infrastructure, defense, counterterrorism, science, technology and education.”

Addressing the gathering, Sikorski said Warsaw sought to deepen ties in public finance, fintech, mining, water management and energy, noting that a Polish state-owned company was already investing in Pakistan’s gas exploration sector.

“We also discussed further cooperation in mining and the energy sector, building on the success of such engagements as the Polish oil and gas company exploring natural gas in Pakistan. This, I believe, has huge potential for the future,” he said.

The Polish minister highlighted educational and people-to-people exchanges, saying some 2,000 Pakistanis now live in Poland, including hundreds of students.

“Poland remains open to legal migration and real studies for real students,” he added, while reiterating Warsaw’s zero tolerance for illegal migration.

Both sides also discussed regional and global developments.

Dar raised Pakistan’s concerns over Indian actions in Kashmir and cross-border attacks from Afghan soil, while Sikorski underlined Poland’s support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and a two-state solution in the Middle East.

RIYADH: ��������’s National Center for Wildlife has introduced a new national program to track invasive marine species in the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Thursday.

In collaboration with the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, the program aims to reinforce the country’s efforts to conserve marine biodiversity and protect ecosystems.

It is the first coordinated national effort to create a comprehensive database of non-native and invasive marine species in the Kingdom’s waters.

The program uses advanced research methods including field surveys, DNA barcoding and maritime traffic analysis to develop accurate scientific imaging of species distribution and dispersal pathways.

Preliminary results revealed hundreds of potential non-native marine species, including 181 in the Red Sea and 168 in the Arabian Gulf.

These species are most concentrated in areas close to ports and coastal infrastructure, areas that the program is targeting with monitoring and environmental planning.

The program has also established the region’s first genetic fingerprint library for potential non-native marine species, for rapid identification of future threats.

Furthermore, it has strengthened national capacities through training and improved marine biosecurity in line with international standards.

Based on these results, NCW is developing a national marine biosecurity framework to prevent and manage invasive species in cooperation with the relevant authorities.

NCW CEO Mohammed Qurban said that this program reflects the Kingdom’s commitment to promoting scientific research and its applications in marine environment protection, in line with the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative.