Senegal president, Macky Sall, has spoken warmly of his country’s relations with the United Arab Emirates as he visited Expo 2020 in Dubai to open the national pavilion.

Sall said: “Our world, plunged into a deep economic gloom, certainly needs this ray of light to bring back some colour and help rebuild hope for a better future.

“In this sense, the universal Expo is both a showcase for nations and a factor for peace and dialogue between cultures and civilisations.

“This is what Expo 2020 is all about, under the theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future,’ with the subthemes of sustainability, mobility and opportunity.

“All this is relevant today.”

He added: “In a world of interdependence and interconnection, but also, unfortunately, of turbulence and violent conflicts, people need to learn to live together, to understand and respect each other, but also to exchange for more progress and prosperity while preserving the environment.

“Senegal adheres to its ideals.

“That is why I wanted to personally preside over the national day of Senegal that we are celebrating today.”

The president continued: “The Senegalese pavilion, located in the heart of the Expo site, offers the world a sample of the best of what we are doing in terms of progress and development.

“For example, the regional express train of Smart Senegal and the project of the port of the future, with three modern infrastructures of connection that refer to the theme of the Expo.

“I would like to commend the bilateral relations between the United Arab Emirates and Senegal, which are based on friendship, cooperation and development.

“Once again, we will try to increase the level of trade, the level of commercial exchanges and above all to make sure that businessmen can also develop cooperation since it is through trade, through investment that this happens.”