Yekaterinburg will be presented as a candidate for hosting the World Universal Exhibition EXPO 2020 at the BIE’s General Assembly in Paris. Delegates from 160 countries will attend.

The 151st General Assembly will be held in Paris on June 11-12, 2012. The International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE) is an international organization in charge of world-scale exhibitions that sets the date and the venue for every EXPO. During the assembly, cities aspiring to host the world exhibitions in 2017 and 2020 will have to present their applications and to speak of the advantages of the exhibition concepts they offer.

Mayor of Yekaterinburg Alexander Yakob will be one of the delegation members who will present the Urals’ capital to the assembly attendants. 160 countries have joined the BIE so far, and it is through these countries’ voting in 2013 that the final choice of the EXPO 2020 venue will be made.