May 7, 2013. ‘Such high-profile events are typically held in Moscow, but Moscow is a rather developed city as it is. This is why Yekaterinburg was chosen. An initiative like this can result in two things: firstly, this is the event per se, and secondly, this is the area’s development,’ Russian Vice Premier and Head of EXPO 2020 Coordination Committee Arkady Dvorkovitch said in an interview to the Italian media.

‘We decided on Yekaterinburg for a number of reasons. This is a city with a rich history, even from the industrial point of view; this city is related to the Revolution of 1917 events and has a certain historic charm. What is more, Yekaterinburg can boast great scientific and production potential in addition to some very acute interest that businesses take in this location, including the interest in an event as big as the EXPO; the city also has rich potential for attracting foreign investment into this area. And finally, Yekaterinburg is a place where two cultures, two traditions, and two continents meet. We feel this is a very peculiar aspect, and those who are to make the decisions about where to hold the exhibition in 2020 will inevitably consider this factor. Then, there is the purely pragmatic aspect: the city has a modern and functional hotel network, a transportation system, and an airport. When you promise to have it all built in time for the exhibition is one thing, having all these things ready at hand is quite another. What is more, Yekaterinburg is one of the cities that is going to host the World Cup 2018, which means that all the jobs will be finished throughout 2017 and no additional construction projects need to be launched, with the exception of the exhibition pavilions,’ Dvorkovitch said.