Marruecos apoya a Arabia Saudí en su candidatura para organizar la Expo 2030

Morocco and Saudi Arabia are two countries closely linked by a number of cultural and historical ties. Support between the two nations on any issue is nothing new, and their cooperation in both political and economic matters, in addition to their business dealings, are some of the relationships they share. Saudi Arabia has put itself forward as a candidate to host the 2030 World Expo and the Alawi kingdom has not hesitated to give its full support.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Residing Abroad has issued a communiqué on the orders of the Royal Court in which it expresses its support for Saudi Arabia.  "This support comes in harmony with the distinguished relations that bind the Kingdom of Morocco and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (...) in accordance with the tradition of continuous solidarity, active cooperation and constant and mutual support between the two brotherly countries," the document states.

The decision of this support comes from the hand of King Mohammed VI of Morocco himself, who has not sweated in supporting one of his partners as well as congratulating both King Salman bin Abdelaziz al-Saud and his son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud for their participation and for being one of the nations chosen to organise the event. 

Although it is not yet known who will host the world's fair, the choice of five countries aspiring to host the event has been known since October last year. Saudi Arabia submitted its bid with the city of Riyadh, its capital, as the chosen city to host the event. The fair will take place between 1 October 2030 and 1 April 2031, under the theme "The era of change: leading the planet to a foresighted tomorrow".

The choice of Riyadh would mark the importance of Arab nations in the world and mark another milestone as the second country from the Middle East, South Asia and North Africa to host the event. Nevertheless, Saudi Arabia is competing with four other territories for the podium. The first of these is the Republic of Korea, or South Korea, which intends to hold the fair between 1 May and 31 October 2030 under the theme of "Transforming our world, navigating to a better future".

Italy has been added to the list, with the candidacy of Rome as host city. The Alpine country would host the event between 25 April and 25 October 2030, with the theme "The Horizontal City: urban regeneration and civil society". On the other hand, we find the bets of Russia and Ukraine. The former would host the event in Moscow between 27 April and 27 October, while the latter would hold the world fair in the city of Odessa between 1 May and 31 October 2030. Russia presents the slogan "Human progress: a shared vision for a world in harmony" and Ukraine that of "Renaissance. Technology. Future".

Arab countries are beginning to make their mark on these issues as they begin to gain global prominence. This is demonstrated by Expo 2020 in Dubai, which enables the United Arab Emirates to host the first world fair to be held within the MENA region, as well as being a pioneer in hosting the world's largest event after the coronavirus pandemic, which forced it to be delayed until October 2021.

The fair has the slogan "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future". Dubai hosts 192 countries showcasing the greatest innovations in technology, business, science, art and culture, as well as the search for answers to meet the challenges of the future and find viable solutions. The event closes its doors on 31 March and Dubai is expected to attract more than 25 million visitors, with more than 70 % expected to come from outside the Emirates.