Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1508764
7 NEWS maltatoday | SUNDAY • 1 OCTOBER 2023 EXCLUSIVE FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY IN MALTA AND GOZO I N T R O D U C I N G ••• For futher information and early booking call us at +356 9919 6510 / 9940 6743 Email us at matin@dynamiceventsmalta.com, margaret@dynamiceventsmalta.com For more details visit us at www.dynamiceventsmalta.com EXCLUSIVE FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY IN MALTA AND GOZO ••• ••• EXCLUSIVE FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY IN MALTA AND GOZO ••• EXCLUSIVE FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY IN MALTA AND GOZO ••• EXCLUSIVE FOR YOUR WEDDING DAY IN MALTA AND GOZO ••• ••• ••• ••• •••• -••€ CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 With just eight weeks to go the bidders have intensified lobbying efforts and Malta is not being overlooked, a source close to government told MaltaToday. "Lobbying efforts are particularly intense, especially by the Saudis," the source said. Malta is not alone to snub Rome, a fellow EU member state, since France publicly de- clared its support for Riyadh last year. The decision, however, is bound to raise eyebrows in European diplomatic circles, especially after Josep Borrell, the EU's equivalent of a foreign minister, said earli- er this year Brussels would support Rome's candidacy, hoping EU countries would do the same. But it appears the Maltese government is unfazed. "Nothing is cast in stone but Malta's lean- ing towards Riyadh also sends a subtle po- litical message that support in such settings should not be taken for granted," the source said. "It's all a question of lobbying and fos- tering diverse bilateral relationships." It is unclear what Malta is expecting in re- turn for its support but some form of coop- eration with Saudi Arabia on tourism and education has not been ruled out, according to the source. Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo was in Riyadh last week for the World Tourism Day celebrations organised by the UN's World Tourism Organisation and Foreign Minister Ian Borg met his Saudi counter- part in October last year. Saudi Arabia has been flexing its finan- cial muscles and last June treated guests to a lavish reception in Paris as bidders held competing events to woo delegates who will choose the Expo winner. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Moham- med bin Salman and Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made their pitch to host the prestigious events. Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa had also applied to host the Expo before Russia in- vaded in February 2022. However, with the war still going on, it has now been ruled out. On the other hand, Busan in South Korea is disadvantaged given that the next Expo in 2025 is being held in neighbouring Japan in the port city of Osaka. This leaves Rome and Riyadh as the front runners. The Saudi Expo bid is part of Prince Mo- hammed's international charm offensive to boost the kingdom's image and influence on the world stage. The country, which is the biggest oil exporter, is trying to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and position it- self as a financial hub, while broadening its tourism industry. The charm offensive includes utilising Saudi's massive sovereign wealth fund to attract top football players such as Cristiano Ronaldo to play in the kingdom. Securing the Expo would be another prize along the way. But human rights activists say Prince Mohammed is simply using such events to clean up his country's image after the 2018 murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents inside the kingdom's consu- late in Istanbul. The hit was reportedly or- dered by Prince Mohammed. In May, rights groups called the bid an at- tempt to "whitewash the Saudi leadership's past abuses and ongoing repression" in a letter to the BIE urging the organisation to drop Riyadh's bid. But there has been a gradual rehabilita- tion in the West of Prince Mohammed with French president Emmanuel Macron host- ing him at the Élysée Palace last year. The World Expo was first held in London's Hyde Park in 1851 and the global event has long been an opportunity to showcase the hottest innovations of the day, including the world's first telephone by Alexander Graham Bell. The event has historically seen icons being built such as the Eiffel Tower in Paris and Seattle's Space Needle. World Expo 2030: Rome and Riyadh lobbying Malta for support Clayton Bartolo was in Riyadh for the WTO event marking World Tourism Day where he met Saudi Deputy Tourism Minister Sultan M. al Musallam