The Republic of Serbia celebrated its Expo 2020 National Day on Tuesday with a flag-raising ceremony at the Stage of Nations in Al Wasl Plaza, including cultural performances and a speech focusing on its knowledge-based economy and investment opportunities.

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, and Commissioner General of Expo 2020 Dubai welcomed Tatjana Matic, Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunications at the world's greatest show, saying, "Serbia’s participation at Expo 2020 Dubai presents 7,000 years of history, creativity, and achievements, while also transporting visitors to the future and pushing the boundaries of communication through the use of state-of-the-art hologram technologies and augmented and virtual reality.

"The UAE and Serbia share strong bilateral relations that have flourished over the years, and we look forward to seeing them develop further as we explore increased partnerships and exchanges at the educational, scientific, and commercial levels across an array of fields of shared interest between our two countries." Matic said, "Our participation in Expo 2020 Dubai allows us to not only showcase our potential, develop business networks and raise our country’s profile, but also to further foster the partnership between Serbia and the United Arab Emirates. We encourage the development of Serbian companies, and provide significant support to the development of an innovative and knowledge-based economy through the engagement of numerous highly qualified experts, primarily in the spheres of information technology, medicine, engineering and higher education.

"We are delighted that our Emirati partners have recognised Serbia as a major investment destination, as well as an interesting tourist destination. These past few months, we have been strongly committed to strengthening our bilateral relations, as well as promoting overall cooperation and solidarity among different countries. I am sure all of us will treasure the motto of this Expo: ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, and I am certain it will motivate us to embody it in our future activities." The National Day ceremony at Al Wasl Plaza included a special musical performance by internationally acclaimed, multiple award-winning violinist, Stefan Milenkovich and his String Virtuoso, Team of Serbia. This was followed by an artistic representation of traditional folk music and dance, showcasing the cultural heritage of different ethnic groups, performed by the Kolo dance emsemble.

Later, a business briefing highlighted Serbia’s investment opportunities in Biotech, Agri-food and Information Communication Technology (ICT).

Speaking at a media briefing for local and international press, Ana Ili?, Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister for Creative Industries and Tourism and Deputy Commissioner General at Expo 2020 Dubai, said, "We had over 1,000 business people and companies here from overseas, and they were extremely happy with the way things were organised and with the impact that they had with countries around the world. Through Expo 2020 Dubai itself, we were also able to connect with countries through other general commissioners and B2B meetings. We had more than 70 countries meet with us in the past few months. Expo 2020 Dubai exceeded our expectations, and we are preparing to take advantage of every opportunity at this Expo that has been more than what we could have hoped for."

© Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2022.