Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence, and Commissioner General of Expo 2020 Dubai, attended today the Republic of Iraq’s celebration of its National Day and the centenary of the Iraqi state. The ceremony was attended by a high level Iraqi delegation, headed by Dr. Ali Allawi, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Saleh Al Tamimi, Under-secretary of the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Mudaffar Mustafa Al Jubouri, Iraqi Ambassador to the UAE among others. The Iraqi National Folklore Group, which was established in 1971, performed a show of traditional Iraqi arts.
Sheikh Nahyan welcomed the Iraqi delegation, saying the country’s rich history and culture have been a source of inspiration to many intellectuals, writers and innovators around the world. “We trust that our strong relations with Iraq will be beneficial to the two brotherly peoples. This year, the UAE invested over US$ 3 billion in Iraq. We also seek to increase our trade exchange with Iraq, which reached US$ 14 billion in 2020,” he added.
Dr. Ali Allawi thanked the UAE for the invitation and praised the levels of organisation and hospitality at Expo 2020 Dubai. He added that Expo 2020 Dubai provides a lot of opportunities to learn about, and to benefit from the latest developments in science, technology, and Artificial Intelligence. The Iraqi Pavilion, at the Opportunity District, highlights Iraqi culture, arts, science, literature and folklore, as the nation celebrates its past while striving to create a brighter tomorrow.