Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio will be in Matera on Sunday, 20 October, together with the Emirati Foreign Minister, Abdallah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to attend the ‘1 Year to Go’ event. The event represents a symbolic passing of the torch from Expo Milano 2015 and Expo Dubai 2020, at exactly one year from its opening. The event will also be attended by the Minister of Education, University and Research, Lorenzo Fioramonti, and the Italian Government’s Commissioner General for Expo 2020 Dubai, Paolo Glisenti.
The Matera event will present the contents of Italy’s participation in Expo Dubai 2020 and the Italy Pavilion, with its theme statement dedicated to “Beauty Connects People”, which will present the cultural, creative and productive identity of our Country to the more than 25 million visitors expected in Dubai: art and science, tradition and technology, creativity and beauty – the internationally recognised points of excellence of “Brand Italy” – as the instruments to promote dialogue between cultures and design the world of the future.
Expo Dubai 2020, which will run from 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021, is the first Universal Expo organised in an Arab Country and will be dedicated to the theme “Connecting Minds, Creating the Future”.
Italy was the first G7 Country to formalise its participation in the Expo 2020, which will involve numerous institutional partners, as well as representatives from the world of academia, science, creativity, sports, media and music.
“1 Year to Go” will also be another important opportunity to give international visibility to Matera, already proclaimed the European Capital of Culture 2019 and a leader in the capacity to attract tourism to the South of Italy.
The two Foreign Ministers will also have a bilateral meeting to make an overview of the partnership and the trade opportunities between Italy and the United Arab Emirates. At the close of the meeting, Minister Di Maio will hold a press point at the Hotel Palazzo Viceconte.
