UAE astronaut Hazza al-Mansouri presents the flags he took to the International Space Station at Expo Dubai

Astronaut Hazza al-Mansouri, the first Emirati to venture into space, toured several country pavilions at the Dubai World Expo 2020 presenting numerous national flags that accompanied him to the International Space Station (ISS) at each stop.

Al-Mansouri, who made headlines as the first Arab to visit the ISS after his eight-day stay in 2019, was joined by fellow UAE astronaut Sultan al-Neyadi, who trained alongside and supported him on the mission.

The two met with Her Excellency Reem al Hashimy, UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation and CEO of Expo 2020 Dubai after they opened the Expo 2020 entrance gates to the Sustainability District. 

Hazza al-Mansouri said: "I thought of many things I could take to represent different countries, but nothing like their flags. It is a representation of their traditions, their thoughts, their ideas and at the same time their light. When I return the flags to each country, to each flag, I see the joy and pride of the people of the country.

"They were so happy, and this is the important thing: connecting people. Through the flags and the mission I did, it's a very strong message to everyone that what the UAE did, what I did on board the [ISS], is something international, something that can reach everyone," he said. 

The country flags that made up his itinerary were those of Kuwait, Qatar, Israel, Palestine, Oman, Egypt, Tunisia, Somalia and Sudan, with the national flag of the respective nation presented on each.

"For us as Sudan, this is where our future must go," said Dr Rasha Ahmed, Marketing and Business Development Manager of the Sudan Pavilion, immediately after the delegation's visit.

"We just told Al-Mansouri that maybe next time he will be accompanied by a Sudanese astronaut. And we will maintain links ... so that we can train some of our young people to have the experience of visiting the ISS."

Text, photos and video: Dubai Expo 2020.