Mali receives EXPO 2030 Riyadh organisers

BELGRADE - Serbian First Deputy PM and Finance Minister Sinisa Mali met with EXPO 2030 Riyadh organisers in Belgrade on Tuesday.

He noted that Serbia and Saudi Arabia would cooperate actively in their preparations for international expos, given that both countries were to host such events for the first time.

"We will be working together actively to be as efficient as possible and to avoid some mistakes. Given that we will have an incredible 8,000 events over the course of the 93 days (of EXPO 2027 Belgrade), it is important that everything works in the best possible way," Mali posted on Instagram.

Mali and EXPO 2030 Riyadh CEO Talal Al-Marri agreed that projects such as EXPOs encouraged investment and development of the host cities and countries and changed the image of nations.

"We have received confirmation that Saudi Arabia will have one of the largest pavilions (at the Belgrade EXPO) as it is important to them to present themselves to the world in the right way ahead of EXPO 2030," Mali said.

He also informed Al-Marri of Serbia's economic policy and achievements over the past decade.

"I especially noted that we expect to be the number one in Europe next year in terms of economic growth," Mali said, adding that a Saudi delegation was impressed with Belgrade Waterfront and Serbian culture and history.

Earlier in the day, an agreement on structured transfer of knowledge and an observation programme between EXPO 2027 Belgrade and EXPO 2030 Riyadh was signed in Belgrade to enable experience-sharing and implementation of the best practices in preparation and execution of specialised expos.

The agreement was inked by the director of the EXPO 2027 enterprise Danilo Jerinic and Al-Marri at an EXPO Playground ceremony also attended by Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) Dimitri Kerkentzes.

EXPO 2027 Belgrade will be held from May 15 through August 15 2027 under the theme of Play for Humanity: Sport and Music for All.

To date, 139 countries have confirmed their participation in the event, which is expected to draw more than five million visitors from around the world.