The Russia Pavilion welcomes the 1,000,000th visitor at Expo 2020 Dubai on Dec 27, 2021
MOSCOW, May 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Russia on Monday notified the Bureau International des Expositions, World Expo’s organizing body, of its decision to voluntarily withdraw Moscow’s candidacy for the right to host the World Expo 2030.
“We are forced to state that the international exhibition movement turned out to be another victim of the large-scale anti-Russian campaign launched by the collective West to squeeze our country out of all areas of cooperation,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Five countries had submitted competing candidatures to organize the event, namely Russia, South Korea, Italy, Ukraine, and Saudi Arabia.
Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin sent a letter announcing this decision to Dimitri Kerkentzes, Secretary General of the Bureau International Des Expositions (BIE), the intergovernmental organization in charge of overseeing and regulating World Expos.
“We regret to state that the international exhibition movement has become another victim of the desire of a number of countries to pursue a politicized line in an anti-Russian spirit. Taking into account the decisions made recently by the International Exhibitions Bureau, there is no need to expect an honest competitive campaign to choose the venue for the Expo-2030 World Universal Exhibition,” the press service reported citing Mishustin’s letter.
The Russian Prime Minister added that “by voluntarily making this difficult decision, the Russian Federation hopes that in the foreseeable future the global exhibition movement will return to its historical roots, when it was engaged in non-political and purely applied activities in the interests of economic development and the strengthening of international trade and economic cooperation”.
The Expo world universal exhibition is the biggest international event offering participant nations the possibility to present themselves to the world, to demonstrate their achievements in the areas of science and technology, culture, and architecture. In the recent years, the expo’s exhibitions have served as a platform for public diplomacy and national brand-building.
It was assumed that if Moscow is chosen, the exhibition will be held from April 27 to October 27, 2030. The Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) will vote in 2023 to pick the winning city. — NNN-AGENCIES