Officials from Oman and the UAE met on Thursday, for the stone laying foundation of the Sultanate’s pavilion for the Expo 2020 Dubai. Members of the ministerial committee supervising the preparation for Sultanate’s participation in the Expo were present for the occasion.

On the side-lines on the ceremony, Dr Ali bin Masoud Al Sunaidi, Minister of Commerce and Industry and Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashemi, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and Director General of Expo 2020 Dubai discussed ways to boost the Sultanate and its Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) participation at the Expo 2020 Dubai.

They also discussed the agreed mechanism for registering these institutions and classifying them with the Public Authority for the Development of Small and Medium Enterprises, as about 500 SMEs have been registered to date, according to the Times of Oman.

The Sultanate’s foundation stone with the participation of Najib Al Ali, executive director of Expo 2020 Dubai, Mohsen bin Khamis Al Balushi, advisor at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, commissioner general of the Sultanate at Expo 2020 Dubai, Dr Khalid bin Said Al Jaradi, Sultanate’s ambassador to the UAE and a number of officials from the Sultanate and the Oman’s office in Dubai.

Meanwhile, it was announced earlier this year that the pavilion will be themed ‘Oman, Opportunities over time’, and is inspired by the shape of a frankincense tree, which is a symbol of significance in the country. Hence, a 30-year-old frankincense tree was specially brought from the Sultanate to Dubai as the main emblem on which the Sultanate’s pavilion will be built.