Mali: EXPO 2027 works to be completed on time

BELGRADE - There are 471 days to go until the start of the biggest event in Serbian history and the biggest global event in 2027 - Belgrade EXPO 2027 - and all works will be completed on time, Serbian First Deputy PM and Finance Minister Sinisa Mali said on Thursday.

At a ceremony at which the EXPO 2027 mascots were officially named, Mali said the mascots, Rastko and Milica, would be the symbols of not only that event, but of Serbia's success in the years and decades to come.

He said the specialised EXPO was Serbia's "biggest development chance" but that there was still much work to be done to promote the event in the right way.

He said EXPO 2027 Belgrade was expected to attract 3 to 4 million visitors from all continents and all countries of the world.

Every day, 3,000 people and some 500 machines work at the EXPO 2027 construction site to ensure everything is finished on time, Mali said, adding that, to date, 132 countries from around the world had confirmed their participation in the event.

"There were 115 countries in Astana in 2017. Belgrade will definitely surpass that and host the largest-ever specialised EXPO next year. That is a great success for all citizens of Serbia," Mali said, adding that EXPO 2027 was not only about Belgrade.