Candidate cities to host the Expo 2020 universal exhibition are presenting their bids today at the International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE) General Assembly in Paris. The bidding cities are Yekaterinburg (Russia), Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Sao Paulo (Brazil), Izmir (Turkey) and Ayutthaya (Thailand).
Russia is represented at the Paris General Assembly by Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Yekaterinburg Expo 2020 Bid Organising Committee Arkady Dvorkovich, Governor of Sverdlovsk Region Yevgeny Kuivashev, and CEO of the Expo 2020 Bid Committee Erik Bugulov.
In accordance with BIE requirements, videos presenting the candidate cities’ advantages and possibilities are the main component of the bid presentations. One of the central components of the Russian presentation details the state support for Yekaterinburg’s bid and includes a video address in English by Mr Putin.
President Putin examined Yekaterinburg’s Expo 2020 venue model together with President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy and President of the European Commission Jose Manual Barroso at the Russia-EU summit in Yekaterinburg on June 4, 2013.
The Expo 2020 host city will be chosen in a final vote by the BIE General Assembly in Paris in November 2013.
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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Ladies and gentlemen,
I am delighted to greet members and guests of the General Assembly of the International Exhibitions Bureau.
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Russia has a long and rich experience of participation in the World Expo movement. We took part in the very first universal exhibition in London in 1851. And at the Paris exhibition in 1900 our pavilion won the coveted Gold Medal and Grand Prix. But in all this time, Russia has not hosted the World Expo, not once. Surely, time has come to change this.
So, we proudly submit our bid to host World Expo 2020 in Yekaterinburg – a dynamic and promising city.
Our bid’s organising committee has the full backing of the Russian government. We guarantee: it will be a priority national project. We are going to build a massive state-of-the-art complex with the capacity to host 30 million visitors over the course of the event. We plan to allocate all the necessary funding for its construction.
I am confident: we shall welcome guests from 150 nations of the world with pride and dignity.
Now, once again I would like to make this very clear: Russia guarantees to fulfil the complete range of requirements set by the International Exhibitions Bureau. In particular, we are preparing a special programme of support for developing countries. This will enable around ninety countries to freely participate in the Expo, completely free of charge.
I can assure you that our grand-scale plans for 2020 will be delivered if Yekaterinburg is given the honour to host World Expo 2020.
Thank you for your attention, and I hope for your support.