Ukraine lights up Expo 2020

Staff Reporter, Gulf Today

Ukraine on Monday hosted a number of activities in celebration of its National Day at Expo 2020 Dubai, with the attendance of high-ranking officials from both countries.

Present at the opening activity, which took place at Al Wasl Plaza, were Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Commissioner General of Expo 2020 Dubai; Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director-General of Expo 2020 Dubai; Mariam Hareb Almheiri, Minister of Climate Change and Environment; and Iryna Novikova, Deputy Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Agriculture of Ukraine; in addition to a number of officials from both countries and visitors of Expo 2020 Dubai.

In his opening speech, Sheikh Nahyan said, “It’s an honour to be with you today to celebrate the National Day of Ukraine; I would like to extend a warm Emirati welcome to you all. Since becoming a member of the BIE in 1960, Ukraine has regularly participated in World and Specialized Expos with award winning successes in its history of participation, so we are pleased to see a strong representation of Ukraine at Expo 2020.”

“As we proudly host Expo 2020 Dubai and welcome the world to the United Arab Emirates, we feel joy in celebrating our Nation’s Golden Jubilee with our global family of nations. Expo 2020 is providing an opportunity for our global community to work together on an accelerated path to recovery, to build a safer, happier future. Our theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ is even more relevant today,” he added.

Sheikh Nahyan referred that Ukraine’s exhibition, titled ‘Smart Ukraine: Connecting Dots’, allows to discover how future technology and smart living can help create a more balanced world. “The pavilion invites us to explore three zones focused on life, thinking and feeling,” he added.

Sheikh Nahyan went on saying that Ukraine shares with the UAE ideas on innovation, sustainable development and energy efficiency, expressing his appreciation to Ukraine and the officials who came to participate in this important global event. He highlighted that the UAE is the first country in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region to host the World Expo and is looking to strengthen economic and cultural ties with countries around the world.

“The UAE continues to be an expanding partner of Ukraine, and our thriving relations have resulted in the establishment of the Ukrainian Business Council in Dubai, among other milestones in the economic, cultural, and educational spheres,” he said.

“With Expo 2020, we hope to build on the existing partnerships between our two countries, as we seek to grow our cooperation further within fields of mutual interest, such as space exploration, tourism, and clean energy,” he added.

At the end of his speech, Sheikh Nahyan welcomed the attendees to this historic global experience, a catalyst for growth and dialogue between the two countries and the international community, and a beacon of hope in a recovering world.

From her side, Novikova highlighted the distinguished bilateral relations between the UAE and Ukraine, saying that Expo 2020 Dubai is a remarkable global event that inspires the entire world, creates opportunities and boosts the level of cooperation between countries.

She stressed Ukraine’s keenness to participate in Expo 2020 Dubai which lays the foundation for stronger ties and solid cooperation between different countries, as well as for accelerating the global economic growth.

After that, Sheikh Nahyan and the accompanying delegation toured the Ukraine Pavilion which is located in the Opportunity District.

Under the theme of ‘Smart Ukraine: Connecting Dots’, the Ukraine Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai is a single space divided into three thematic groups: smart life, smart thinking, smart feelings. It seeks to “solve humanity’s problems” with creativity and common sense.

Among the exhibits at the Ukraine Pavilion are an e-bike that can travel 380km after a single charge, and a 3D printer for ceramics and solar blinds that are capable of generating energy, thus reflecting the uniqueness and originality of the Ukrainian people and its culture through the prism of modern technologies. Ukraine Pavilion presents a “field” created from real ears of wheat, “nano-wheat”, and digital wheat.

This solution symbolically demonstrates Ukraine’s movement into the future in harmony with nature and technological progress.

The pavilion will also run an entertainment programme that includes fashion shows, topical seminars and creative performances.

Meanwhile, the recruits of the National and Reserve Service thanked the UAE’s leadership for giving them the opportunity to participate in organising the Expo 2020 Dubai, the world’s largest international event, stressing their participation will enable them to sharpen their skills and knowledge and interact with people from different cultures.

Hosting the Expo 2020 Dubai is an honour for the UAE, the Gulf and the Arab Region, they added. They will be worthy of this prominent stature and help boost the position of the UAE, and stressing they must work together to achieve global leadership for the country, they noted. The recruits, along with thousands of volunteers, are welcoming millions of visitors to the UAE during the expo, and they will perform various duties to offer visitors a unique experience.

The participation of the recruits in the expo is due to the directives of the UAE’s leadership, which believes in the importance of unifying and harnessing all national efforts to support national activities and present a high level of organisation in line with the country’s prominent stature. The leadership also believes the event’s success will be a national achievement to be added to the country’s list of achievements.

“I would like to thank our wise leadership for giving us an opportunity to join the Expo 2020 Dubai team, which is an experience that will provide us with incredible opportunities to sharpen our knowledge and develop on personal and professional levels, said Badr Hamad Saeed Al Junaibi, one of the recruits.