Expo 2020 Dubai: India to get a permanent pavilion

New Delhi [India], Oct 21 (ANI): With India set to get a permanent pavilion at Expo 2020, the World Fair in Dubai that kicks off on October 20 next year is set to see an exchange of ideas and technology and culture between the United Arab Emirates, India and over 190 participating countries.

Aiming to forge stronger economic and strategic ties with the world, the UAE mega event is set to host around 192 countries for a period of six months.

UAE Ambassador to India Dr Ahmed Albanna, who is awarded to host World Expo 2020 from October 2020 to April 2021, announced that India had been allotted a permanent exhibition space.

"India has taken a major Pavillion which is strategic in terms of location in the Expo. We extend our gratitude to the leadership of India for their vision. Indian Pavillion in Expo 2020 will remain under the government of India possession and will be permanent Pavillion in the UAE," the ambassador said while speaking at an event to promote the Expo here.

On potential growth in bilateral relations between India and UAE Ambassador to India, said that India is the best partner for the UAE.

"India is the partner number one for the UAE. More than 3 million Indians are living in the UAE. More than 24 billion dollars of funds transferred back to India. We are small in size in the region but play an important role in the international arena," stated the Ambassador.

The Ambassador also said that the importance Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave to the region made it natural for the UAE to confer the highest civilian award 'order of Zayed' on Modi.

"The importance of the relationship was underlined by Prime Minister Modi when he visited the UAE. The importance he has given to our region makes it natural for us to confer the award on him, " said the ambassador.

The UAE is observing 2019 as 'year of tolerance'.

"This is part of our culture and religion. The UAE is a harmonious place to live in and it's a place you can grow safely and raise a family. The characteristics of the UAE are of the highest standards. Lots of characteristics and acceptability resemble that of India," added the Ambassador.

The ambassador also dwelt on the growth the UAE and India have seen in bilateral relations over the years.

"In the late 80s, bilateral trade between the UAE and India stood at 185 million dollars, now it has increased enormously. This speaks a lot about the two countries. There is leadership commitment from both sides. The very first visit of Prime Minister Modi August 2015 to the UAE followed by a visit of the crown prince has put the bilateral relations on a different track.

"And it is growing too. Earlier, we cooperated in sectors of oil trade, oil and gas. Now, we are also exploring in sectors like security, aerospace, IT, education health, tourism, logistics as well," added Albanna who noted that PM Modi's visit to the UAE came after a long gap of 34 years since Indian Prime Minister visited the Gulf country.

While, the UAE hopes to make most of it, bagging Expo 2020 wasn't an easy task to accomplish.

"We had strong competition from Thailand, Brazil, Russia, and Turkey. The last round of voting was between the UAE and Russia. There are exactly 364 days left to the opening of the event. We are expecting 25 million people to attend Expo that will be spread over a period of six months," added the ambassador.

It is an exhibition to showcase the strength and exhibition of countries and not limited to products.

The UAE has chosen "Connecting minds, creating the future" as a theme of the event with three subthemes - Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability. While the theme 'opportunity ' would aim to look at solutions to social problems, mobility will open up avenues to explore new frontiers through digital connectivity. The third theme -- Sustainability, on the other hand, would look at alternative sources for food, water and clean renewable energy to make efforts to preserve the planet.

The World Expo 2020 in Dubai will be the first to be held in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia region. Around 134 countries would be participating in the Expo being hosted between the cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi.