During a visit to Kampala, Ahmed Kattan, an advisor at the Saudi Royal Court, conveyed a message from King Salman to the Ugandan President, H.E Yoweri Museveni, underscoring the significance of bilateral relations and avenues for their enhancement. The exchange occurred within the context of Saudi Arabia’s bid to host Expo 2030 in Riyadh.
The message also focuses on bilateral relations between the two countries and ways to strengthen existing relations through Saudi-Ugandan cooperation.
According to the Saudi Arabian outlet Asharq Al Awsat, Saudi Arabia requested that Uganda support its bid to host Expo 2030 in Riyadh. The elections are scheduled for November 2023 on the margins of the General Assembly of the Bureau des Expositions in Paris, France.
The proposal to host the event in Riyadh is met with competition from other cities including Busan, South Korea; Rome, Italy and Odessa, Ukraine. Irrespective of the final outcome, Expo 2030 presents an invaluable platform for nations across the globe to showcase their innovations, cultures, and ideas.
President Museveni expressed Uganda’s full support for the Kingdom’s bid to host World Expo 2030 in Riyadh and also welcomed the convening of the first Saudi-African Summit and the fifth Arab-African Summit in the Kingdom this year.
During the meeting, the two leaders discussed measures to improve collaboration and bilateral relations. They also reviewed various fields and ways of enhancing them; these fields include trade, investment, and tourism.
The talks also addressed the latest developments in regional and international issues of mutual interest.
In addition to the verbal message, the Saudi delegation also presented President Museveni with a gift from King Salman. The gift was a Qur’an that had been handwritten by the Saudi calligrapher Mohamed Zakariya.
