Dubai: Singapore Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai unveiled a new hybrid orchid named after Expo 2020 Dubai on the occasion of its National Day celebrations on Saturday.
The orchid celebrates Singapore’s culture and signifies its strong bilateral relations with the UAE.
The new bloom, named ‘Dendrobium Expo 2020 Dubai’, was presented by Teo Chee Hean, Singapore Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security, to Sheikh Nahayan Mabarak Al Nahayan, UAE Minister of Tolerance and Coexistence and Commissioner General of Expo 2020 Dubai at the Singapore Day ceremony at Expo.
A delicate bouquet of gracefully twisted golden yellow petals with light purple veins, the Dendrobium Expo 2020 Dubai has been specially selected to complement the colours of the Expo 2020 Dubai logo.
“Created by Singapore Botanic Gardens, the orchid celebrates the coming together of nations from all over the world to forge stronger partnerships and co-create a brighter future,” said a statement from Singapore Pavilion.
Love for nature
Teo said: “As small states and hubs in our respective regions, Singapore and the UAE have benefited from a close friendship and partnership that have continued to strengthen over the years.”
He added: “The UAE is Singapore’s largest trading partner and investment destination in the Middle East. We enjoy strong people-to-people ties, with the UAE hosting the largest number of Singaporeans in the region. Our two countries are also strongly committed to creating a more sustainable future. It is fitting that we are unveiling the Dendrobium Expo 2020 Dubai orchid today [Saturday], to mark not just the flourishing ties between our two countries, but also our shared love and respect for nature.”
Orchid diplomacy
Since 1956, orchids have been deeply rooted in Singapore’s history, culture and economy, where the propagation, cultivation and crossbreeding of unique cultivars were gifted to other countries as a gesture of friendship in what has been termed “orchid diplomacy”.
Dendrobium Expo 2020 Dubai will be displayed at Singapore Pavilion’s Flower Cone, together with 50 other orchids and two other prominent hybrid orchids, namely, Dendrobium Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, named after Mother of the Nation Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak; and Aranda Lee Kuan Yew, named in honour of the late Lee Kuan Yew, the founding Prime Minister of Singapore.
