by Nortal HQ, August 4, 2017
Participating in World Expo in Dubai in 2020 is a great opportunity for Estonia to create relationships and open doors to boost business ties with the whole region.
“I strongly believe that it is important to strengthen Estonia’s presence in the Gulf area,” said Priit Alamäe, Nortal’s CEO. “Participation in the Expo in Dubai is symbolic for the Emirates and for the whole region. It is a matter of respect.”
Nortal has already helped several Gulf Cooperation Council countries in different projects, such as advising Dubai how to become a fully paperless government by 2021 with the help of strong electronic identity or building a new business registry and tax administration solutions for Oman.
Following the successful launch and implementation of the so-called Invest Easy portal developed by Nortal, Oman made an unprecedented leap in the Ease of Doing Business Ranking of the World Bank’s annual Doing Business 2017 report, jumping 127 places up in the category ’Starting a Business’.
Alamäe has previously told local media in Estonia that Nortal is willing to participate and financially support Estonia’s presence in the Dubai Expo.
“Since the GCC countries have built their strategies largely on exports, they very much appreciate of other countries coming along with similar aspirations,” Alamäe added.
The Dubai World Exposition is the so-called ‘Basic Expo’, which takes place every five years. The last exhibition was held in 2015 in Milan. The United Arab Emirates has also given Estonia an official invitation to take part in the event from 20 October 2020 to 10 April 2021. The theme of the exhibition is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’; the main theme of the Expo is divided into three sub-themes: Opportunity, Mobility and Persistence.
Estonia participating in the Expo would provide an opportunity to introduce the country in general, most of all to the residents of the United Arab Emirates and the surrounding countries, who are expected to account for the largest part of the planned 25 million visitors.
Estonia has previously participated in world exhibitions, among others in 2000 with 3.5 million euros in Hanover (Germany), in 2010 with 3.8 million euros in Shanghai (China) and in 2015 with 4.9 million euros in Milan (Italy).