Sheikh Mohammed and Mohamed Bin Zayed arrive for the opening of the Al Wasl Plaza at the Expo 2020 site in Dubai.

Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces His Highness Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, today inaugurated Al Wasl Plaza, the heart of the Expo 2020 Dubai site.

Their Highnesses said that under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE has consolidated its status as a leader in the global arena. The country is a perfect host for Expo 2020, which will promote optimism, hope and collaboration and inspire people to work towards achieving positive change and a better future.

“We will celebrate the accomplishments of the last 50 years. Thanks to the efforts of UAE citizens and residents, as well as all those who have contributed to its success and prosperity, Expo 2020 will mark the start of new 50-year phase of leadership and achievements,” Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid said.

  Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid’s image emblazoned on the dome of the Al Wasl Plaza.

“We are working to implement our vision as part of our comprehensive development plan, whose key objective is the happiness of people. Our efforts are backed by initiatives and projects aimed at maximisng the energy and talent of our people and creating new opportunities for them. We work with all countries and governments keen to promote the prosperity and wellbeing of humanity. In a few months, the world will gather in this place to celebrate the cultures of various nations across the world and humankind’s best innovations. Expo 2020 will offer new hope for creating a better tomorrow both for the region and the world.”

Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed said: “Through Expo 2020, we will show the world how our union was the starting point for our development journey, and how our founding fathers established the robust foundations necessary for sustainable development and progress. We will also have an opportunity to demonstrate how the spirit of collaboration is embedded deep in our national ethos and serves as a means for progress and development. The world will also be able to better understand the achievements we have accomplished in the short period since our nation’s foundation, and will learn about our traditions and heritage, our diversity and our experience of peaceful coexistence.”