The United States signed a contract on Friday formalizing its participation in Expo 2030 Riyadh, according to a transcript of the ceremony released by the U.S. State Department.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud signed the agreement in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 30. The ceremony took place on the sidelines of a G20 ministerial meeting, The National reported.
Rubio called the contract “an important first step to prepare for a world-leading USA Pavilion in Riyadh.” He said the expo was an opportunity to strengthen bilateral ties and “expand commercial opportunities for U.S. businesses.”
Prince Faisal thanked Rubio for his support for the event and said Saudi Arabia looked forward to seeing the US pavilion.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is scheduled to run from October 1, 2030, to March 31, 2031. It is expected to bring together 197 official participants and attract more than 42 million visitors to a 6 million-square-meter site, according to the event’s website as cited by The National.
The world fair is timed to coincide with the culmination of Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia’s program to diversify the economy away from oil exports.
