VP IMPRESSED BY EXPO WORK
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, VicePresident and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, visited the Expo 2020 Dubai site office on Monday and said he was encouraged by the developments on site. He was accompanied by Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai. —
dubai — His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, conducted a helicopter tour of the Dubai Expo site to review its progress and visited the Expo 2020 Dubai Site Office on Monday.
During his visit to the site office, accompanied by Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed was briefed by department heads and directors on the considerable advancements made by the Expo team.
He also underlined the importance of youth being integrated in the Expo journey and the key work being carried out involving them in planning both for Expo 2020 itself and the social, economic, physical and reputational legacy that will follow.
Sheikh Mohammed added that he was pleased to see the progress made by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in the construction of the Metro link to a new station on the Expo site, Route 2020, which will be one stop from the Al Maktoum International Airport. The airport is expected to become the biggest and busiest in the world following completion of expansion in 2025.
He stressed the role of thousands of volunteers who will be recruited to ensure that the culture and values of the UAE will be reflected throughout Expo, which is expected to be visited by 25 million, including an unprecedented 70 per cent from overseas.
Upon his arrival at the site office, Sheikh Mohammed was received by Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee, and president of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority; and Reem Al Hashemy, the UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Dubai Expo 2020 Bureau Director-General.
Also present were Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee members Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, Minister of State and Chairman of the National Media Council; Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shaibani, Vice-Chairman of the Expo 2020 Dubai Higher Committee and Director-General of HH The Ruler’s Court of Dubai; Hussain Nasser Lootah, Director General of the Dubai Municipality; Helal Saeed Almarri, Director-General of Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing;, Khalifa Al Zaffin, Executive Chairman, Dubai Aviation City Corporation; and MajorGeneral Abdullah Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police.
Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed commented: “His Highness was a driving force behind our successful campaign to win the right to stage the next edition of the World Expo in 2020. We have had private and public commitments for participation from more than 120 countries and have recently announced our seventh commercial premier partner.” — Wam