YEKATERINBURG, January 29 (Itar-Tass) – A forum of the cities bidding to host the international exhibition EXPO 2020 is planned to be held in Yekaterinburg, governor of the Sverdlovsk Region Yevgeny Kuivashev told Itar-Tass. He explained that under the rules of the International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE), each candidate city arranges a forum involving all the competitors. This event does not necessarily have to take place in a candidate city.
“The final venue of the forum is yet to be determined, so far Yekaterinburg is planned as the host,” Kuivashev said, noting that the forum will be held in the second half of the year. And before that - in June - Yekaterinburg will present its bid in a new format at a BIE session. The Urals representatives speak about the implementation of the theses set forth in the bid book, which at the end of last year was officially transferred to the headquarters of the International Exhibitions Bureau in Paris.
The three-volume book provides information about the concept of the exhibition in Russia and the plan for its implementation. For example, 500 hectares will be provided for the exhibition objects, according to the plan. The Russian Expo will be second only to the 2010 Expo in Shanghai. The plan includes information on the construction of the pavilions, Expo City, Expo Village, a multifunctional dwelling, work and leisure facility, the EXPO Museum and EXPO Arena for recreational activities. In addition, the bid dossier includes data on the feasibility study and infrastructure solutions for the reception and security of guests, as well as information on a set of measures to protect and conserve the environment.
If Yekaterinburg wins the competition for hosting EXPO 2020, nearly 150 countries will participate in the exhibition. According to Kuivashev, in March 2013 BIE inspectors will arrive in the Urals in order to compare on site what was presented in the book with the real possibilities of Yekaterinburg.
“Many activities are planned for this year in furtherance of the Russian bid,” the governor said. “The Innoprom 2013 and Nizhny Tagil arms exhibitions, meetings of the intergovernmental commissions will be held in Yekaterinburg and the region. All this will contribute to the victory of Yekaterinburg in the struggle for the right to host Expo 2020.”
Yekaterinburg Expo 2020 will be the capstone of a grand effort to reconnect Russia to the world and a touchstone for the relationship of Russia with the community of nations heading into the future, according to the bid committee.
EXPO 2020 in Yekaterinburg may become the first World Expo that will be held in Russia. About 150 countries are expected to take part in the event in Yekaterinburg. Over six months, the total number of the Expo visitors is to exceed 32 million people. The Russian bid theme is: “The Global Mind. The Future of Globalisation and Its Impact on Our World.” Other cities bidding to host Expo 2020 are Izmir (Turkey), Ayutthaya (Thailand), Dubai (UAE) and Sao Paulo (Brazil). The venue of the World Expo 2020 will be determined in a vote in Paris in November 2013.