Saudi Arabia unveils World Expo 2030 candidature plans in Paris

Saudi Arabia unveils World Expo 2030 candidature plans in Paris

Paris: Saudi Arabia’s capital city is the ideal location for World Expo 2030 because of its growing international stature, strong economy and new infrastructure, according to several government and private sector officials who spoke at a seminar in Paris on Monday night.

The Royal Commission for Riyadh City hosted delegates from the Bureau International des Expositions, or BIE, at the event that was live-streamed to an international audience.

The BIE will decide on Nov. 28, at its 173rd General Assembly, which city will host World Expo 2030. Saudi Arabia is competing against Italy and South Korea to host the global gathering.

The participants included the BIE’s Secretary-General Dimitri Kerkentzes, who opened the seminar.

Keynote speaker Adel Al-Jubeir, Saudi Arabia’s minister of state for foreign affairs and climate envoy, said the Kingdom has the people to host the event.

“Seventy percent of our population is under the age of 30,” he said. “You feel the excitement, you feel the energy, you feel the enthusiasm that is going to be driving the country to greater and greater heights.”

“We have sent hundreds of thousands of men and women to study (at) universities across the world … so that they can come back with the knowledge and experience and integrate the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia into the