Malta Should Not Back Saudi Arabia For World Expo 2030, Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation Warns After Journalist Murder
The Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation has condemned Malta’s apparent support for Saudi Arabia’s bid to hold the World Expo 2030.
On the five-year anniversary of the unsolved murder of a Saudi journalist, which international bodies connect to the Saudi government, the Malta-based NGO, set up in the wake of Daphne Caruana Galizia’s brutal murder in 2017, tweeted:
“The state of Saudi Arabia, specifically the Crown Prince, was and is responsible for Khahsoggi’s extrajudicial execution. Malta should not back a state that murdered a journalist.”
On 28th November, members of the World Expo will vote in secret for the 2030 host, a prestigious international event that gives a unique opportunity to engage in cultural diplomacy and interact with the host country, other participants, potential tourists, trade partners and investors.
This year’s runner-ups are Busan in South Korea, Rome, Italy and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.
However, Busan is at a disadvantage, with the 2025 World Expo being held nearby in Osaka, Japan, leaving Rome and Riyadh as the likely runners-up.
However, Malta Today sources indicate that Malta is likely to snub its European neighbour in favour of the Middle Eastern state.
Just last week Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo was in Riyadh to celebrate World Tourism Day, in events organised by the UN’s World Tourism Organisation. Ian Borg, Malta’s Foreign Minister, met his Saudi counterpart in October last year.
Saudi journalist #JamalKhashoggi was murdered 5 years ago today, his body dismembered & never found. The State of #SaudiArabia, specifically Crown Prince MBS, was & is responsible for Khasoggi’s extrajudicial execution.@MaltaGov should not back a State that murdered a journalist. https://t.co/r5rhuFC3hu
— Daphne Caruana Galizia Foundation (@daphnefdtn) October 2, 2023
Five years on since the death of Khashoggi
On October 2nd 2018, Jamal Khashoggi’s death in Istanbul sent shock waves through the international community, when he was allegedly injected with a lethal dose of drugs inside the Saudi consulate, his body was dismembered and discarded, never to be found.
His death came less than a year after the murder of Daphne Caruana Galizia.
Khashoggi was a prominent Saudi journalist who covered major stories, namely the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the rise of late al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden for several Saudi news agencies.
The 59-year-old was close to the Saudi royal family, serving as an adviser to the government. However, he eventually fell out of favour and went into self-imposed exile in the US. He wrote a monthly column for the Washington Post, criticizing the policies of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the son of King Salman and Saudi Arabia’s ruler.
Cover photo: Tourism Minister Clayton Bartolo meets Saudi Deputy Tourism Minister Sultan M. al Musallam in Riyadh.
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