Astana Expo 2017 seeks UAE investors to develop infrastructure

Astana Expo 2017, an annual exhibition on renewable energy in Kazakhstan, is seeking UAE cooperation and participation to help position itself as a hub for sustainable energy.

Reem Al  Hashimi, Minister of State and Managing Director of the Expo 2020 Dubai, and Akhmetzhan Yessimov, Chairman of the Board of National Company Astana Expo 2017, exchanged views and discussed possible cooperation.

Speaking to Emirates 24|7, Ynessimov said: “At the meeting, both the parties reached an agreement on signing a memorandum on cooperation between Astana Expo 2017 and Expo 2020 Dubai. The document will be signed in January 2017 at a summit on future energy in Abu Dhabi.”

Ynessimov held meetings with the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hussain Nasser Lootah, and Vicente Loscertales, Secretary General of the International Exhibition Bureau (Bureau International des Expositions, BIE), during the visit.

He said Astana Expo organisers are ready to share their experience with the Expo 2020 Dubai as well as their volunteers and experienced manpower created for the annual exhibition, which is only 380 days away.

Established by the Government of Kazakhstan in January 2013, Astana Expo 2017 is also seeking investors to develop the annual expo centre and related infrastructure.

At the meeting with Vicente Loscertales, Secretary General of the BIE, Akhmetzhan Yessimov elaborated on the progress of the construction, the content of the exhibition and arrangement of the ‘Best Practices Area’, which will feature over 20 world's best projects in production, conservation and transportation of renewable energy sources.

“The UAE became the first Middle Eastern country to officially confirm its participation in Astana Expo 2017, appoint a Commissioner General of its national pavilion and sign a participation agreement,” the Kazakhstani official said, adding that organising a major international exhibition like Expo 2020 Dubai will have great economic impact that further fuels the country’s economy.

To be held between June 10 and September 10, Astana Expo 2017 will run for 93 days. To-date, over 85 countries and over 15 international organizations have confirmed participation in the exhibition.

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