Stone laid for Sultanate’s pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai

DUBAI: Dr Ali bin Masoud al Sunaidy, Minister of Commerce and Industry, member of the main ministerial committee supervising the preparations for the Sultanate’s participation in Expo 2020 Dubai, on Thursday met with Reem bint Ibrahim al Hashemi, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General of Expo 2020 Dubai, on the sidelines of laying the foundationstone for the Sultanate’s pavilion at the expo.

The meeting discussed means to boost success of the Sultanate’s participation in the expo and ways to increase the participation of SMES in this stage of preparation and during Expo Dubai 2020 in the second half of next year. They also discussed the agreed mechanism for registering these institutions and classifying them with the Public Authority for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises, as about 500 SMES have been registered to date.

Following the meeting, the foundation-stone for the Sultanate’s Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai was laid, with the participation of Najib al Ali, Executive Director of Expo 2020 Dubai, Mohsen bin Khamis al Balushi, Adviser at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Commissioner General of the Sultanate at Expo 2020 Dubai, Dr Khalid bin Said al Jaradi, Sultanate’s Ambassador to the UAE, and a number of officials from the Sultanate and the Sultanate’s office in Dubai.

A 30-year-old frankincense tree was specially brought from the Sultanate to Dubai as it is the main emblem on which the Sultanate’s pavilion was built. It was brought in a stand that provides a virtual environment with advanced technology designed and manufactured by Omani youth from the Innovation Factory, the consultant to develop the Sultanate Pavilion.

It should be noted that Expo 2020 will be held in Dubai from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.