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19 March 2024

Mohammed meets with Monti

Sheikh Mohammed during his meeting with the Italian Prime Minister (Pic Courtesy: Sheikh Mohammed's website)

Published
By Sheikh Mohammed's Website

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, received Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti and his accompanying delegation at Za’beel Palace on Tuesday.

During the meeting, which saw the attendance of Dubai Deputy Ruler Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Sheikh Mohammed and his guest discussed ways of boosting bilateral relations and expanding mutual cooperation in various fields between the UAE and Italy.

They also discussed ways of promoting exchange of economic, cultural and intellectual cooperation of mutual benefit for both countries and peoples.

Sheikh Mohammed affirmed UAE’s appreciation for Italy, hailing the friendly ties and cooperation between the two countries. He expressed hope that the coming stage will materialise more collaboration in various fields through encouraging exchange of expertise and visits as well as amassing efforts to expand economic cooperation and learning about present and future investment opportunities in both countries.

Sheikh Mohammed expressed satisfaction with progress in bilateral relations, especially at the political and economic levels, enhanced by the efforts of the UAE-Italy Economic Committee.

The Italian Prime Minister praised the strong bilateral relations between his country and the UAE, expressing Italy’s respect and appreciation for the UAE’s revolutionary humanitarian and development experience, which resulted in an overall growth achieved in line with a futuristic vision in the various economic, cultural and social sectors in addition to the sector of construction.

Sheikh Mohammed and the Italian Prime Minister then inked a joint statement enhancing bilateral relations on the bases of existing common humanistic values which are based on tolerance, positive interaction, mutual respect between both peoples and cultures in addition to pushing forward the development rates.

The statement also included the promotion of cooperation to strategic partnership level through a programme of initiatives that defines the best possible means that guarantee the achievement of the common objectives.

The statement further noted the overall efforts exerted to bolster bilateral relations and agreements on economic, political, security and cultural cooperation.

Sheikh Mohammed and Mario Monti also witnessed the signing of cooperation agreement on culture, arts and heritage, before witnessing another signing of Memorandum of Understanding between the UAE National Emergency and Crisis Management Authority and the Italian cabinet and the Italian Civil Protection Ministry.

The meeting and the signing were attended by Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation and Chief Executive of Emirates Group Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Minister of Cabinet Affairs Mohammed Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr. Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of Economy Sultan Saeed Al Mansouri, State Minister Reem Ibrahim Al Hashemi, Director of Dubai Ruler's Court Mohammed Ibrahim Al Shebani, Director of Dubai Ruler's Office Lt. General Musabbah Rashid Al Fattan, Dubai Director of Protocol and Hospitality Khalifa Saeed Suleiman, the UAE ambassador to Spain and the Italian Ambassador to the UAE.

Mohammed selects eight 'Expo Ambassadors'

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has selected eight individuals to serve as ‘Expo Ambassadors’ to support the country’s bid to host the 2020 World Expo in Dubai.

These Expo Ambassadors, who were selected based on the quality of their submission to the recently concluded “Be part of it” competition, will represent the UAE at a high-level reception in Paris, France, on November 21. The reception will take place on the eve of the country’s upcoming presentation to the General Assembly of the 161 member nations of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE), the international organisation responsible for overseeing the bidding, selection and organisation of World Expos.

Sheikh Mohammed also selected three youth winners, who will receive special recognition for their submissions, along with opportunities to represent the UAE’s Expo 2020 bid, such as participating in Expo-themed outreach programmes at educational institutions across the country.

These winners, who symbolise the diversity and inclusiveness of the UAE, represent the very best essays, poems, photographs, artworks and short films from among all of the entries submitted over the past four months in response to the question: Why should the UAE be chosen to host the world in 2020?

Dubai is competing against four other candidate cities bidding to host the 2020 World Expo, including Ayutthaya (Thailand); Ekaterinburg (Russia); Izmir (Turkey); and Sao Paulo (Brazil). The winning city will be announced in November 2013 following a vote by the 161 member nations of the BIE.

The eight Expo Ambassadors include:

  • Sara Al Boom, UAE - short film
  • Khawla Darwish, UAE – art
  • Marwan Al-Haj, UAE – essay
  • Adel Ibrahim, Comoros – art
  • Muhammad Al Janabi, Iraq – photography
  • Jasim M, India – art
  • Eenas El Sheakh, Egypt – poetry
  • Ben Ouattara, Germany - film
  • The three youth winners include: Maathangi Anirudh, India – art
  • Ayesha Khan, India – poetry
  • George Zacharia, India - art

Each of these winning entries - along with all other submissions entered throughout the "Be part of it" competition - can be viewed on the Expo 2020 website (www.expo2020dubai.ae).