Participation Contract with Slovakia Signed: A New Chapter in Serbian–Slovak Cooperation
Today, Danilo Jerinić, Director of EXPO 2027 d.o.o. Belgrade, and Jagoda Lazarević, Minister of Internal and Foreign Trade in the Government of the Republic of Serbia and Commissioner General for EXPO 2027 Belgrade, signed the Participation Contract for Slovakia’s involvement in the Specialised Exhibition EXPO 2027 Belgrade with Lukáš Parízek, Slovakia’s Commissioner General for EXPO 2027 Belgrade.
This contract represents the first Participation Contract signed with a country participating in the Specialised Exhibition.
By signing this contract, the engagement of the Slovak Republic is formally confirmed and the next operational steps towards its participation as an Official Participant are initiated, in line with the rules and procedures of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) and the practice established by the 1928 Paris Convention relating to International Exhibitions.
Expressing his satisfaction that the contract was signed at the EXPO 2027 Playground, Director Jerinić stated that today’s signing marks the opening of a new chapter in cooperation between the Republic of Serbia and the Slovak Republic, one that will be crowned when EXPO opens on 15 May 2027.
“This is also the first contract we are signing with a participating country, and I sincerely congratulate our Slovak friends. In doing so, we are building a new bridge of cooperation that will continue to connect our countries in the years ahead,” Jerinić emphasised.
He added that, under this contract, Slovakia will be allocated a medium-sized exhibition space, an M Pavilion, which will offer numerous opportunities to showcase its culture and identity and to present itself authentically through the overarching theme of play.
“Each new contract brings us one step closer to our shared goal for Serbia to shine in 2027 as a global stage of creativity and the future. In the months ahead, we will continue signing contracts with other countries that have already confirmed their participation. As of today, we have confirmations from 127 participating countries, thereby surpassing the previous record of 117 countries that took part in Astana 2017,” Jerinić concluded.
Jerinić also underlined that EXPO 2027 is an opportunity for Serbia to bring the world together around shared values and to convey messages of peace through dialogue and creativity.
“This is a chance for us to put forward all the topics for discussion that matter to us, to the region, and to all other countries participating in our EXPO,” Director Jerinić stated.
Addressing the media following the signing, Minister and Commissioner General for EXPO 2027 Belgrade Jagoda Lazarević expressed her satisfaction that the first EXPO 2027 Participation Contract has been signed precisely with the Slovak Republic, a friendly nation with which Serbia maintains excellent political relations and increasingly dynamic economic cooperation.
Referring to her bilateral meeting with Commissioner General Parízek, held prior to the signing ceremony, Lazarević noted that both sides agreed on all activities planned before the opening of EXPO, emphasising that the groundwork is strong: excellent political ties, high-level meetings, economic cooperation, and established links between the business communities of both countries.
“Slovakia is an important European economy, and our current level of cooperation, particularly in terms of trade volume, is exceptionally good. What we want to see now is a stronger presence of Slovak investors in Serbia. We also have joint plans for certain potential third markets, and all these efforts aim to ensure that Serbia and Slovakia present concrete, achieved results by the time EXPO 2027 opens its doors,” Lazarević stressed.
She also expressed her conviction that Slovakia will have a beautiful pavilion, fully suited to presenting all its national strengths and potential.
“I would also highlight the importance of the meeting between the tourism organisations of our two countries. They discussed all the ways in which we can increase both the number of Serbian tourists visiting Slovakia and the number of Slovak tourists coming to Serbia. The distance is not great, we are close nations in every sense, even geographically,” the Minister noted.
Emphasising that a great deal of work lies ahead before the start of EXPO, Lazarević stated that from today, following the signing of the first contract, a demanding and extensive phase of work begins, but that Serbia remains fully committed to this task, as EXPO 2027 is not merely a state project, but a national one.
Slovakia’s Commissioner General for EXPO 2027 Belgrade, Lukáš Parízek, remarked that it was a great honour for Slovakia to be the first country to officially sign its participation at EXPO 2027 Belgrade.
“EXPO 2027 Belgrade is an important event, one of the largest that a country can organise. I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate the Government of the Republic of Serbia on this significant achievement. Our presence here today demonstrates our willingness and readiness to begin working in a timely and committed manner,” Parízek stated.
He added that Slovakia was fully aware that today’s signing was both formal and symbolic, and that the nearly two years ahead, until the opening of EXPO 2027, would require dedicated work across all areas that the Exhibition would showcase and encompass.
“Even today, we had the opportunity to work and discuss concrete projects and specific ideas. Together with the Minister and Commissioner General (Lazarević), we agreed to examine all these individual activities during the preparation period for EXPO and to identify where we can advance joint projects. Our aim is not only to use EXPO as a platform to present our country, which is a key part of the Exhibition, but also to communicate the results that we will, I hope, successfully achieve in the time ahead,” Parízek emphasised.
For more information about EXPO 2027 Belgrade, please visit the following LINK.
