September 11, 2013. The fact that Yekaterinburg applied for the right to host the EXPO 2020 exhibition set very high expectations for Russia on the whole, ITAR TASS refers to Russia’s Industry & Trade Minister Denis Manturov as saying in Paris in the course of his meeting with the ambassadors of member states of the BIE.

‘We have been taking part in various exhibitions for over 150 years now, but, unfortunately, the world’s major event, EXPO, has never been hosted in Russia yet. This is why the country’s leaders intend to give all their support to the efforts to make EXPO 2020 a very good quality event. This is not only about image and prestige issues,’ ITAR TASS quotes Manturov as saying.

The Industry & Trade Minister is positive that the world exhibition would be a great opportunity to reach a new level of cooperation among the world economic community members.

‘From this viewpoint, Yekaterinburg, a city located on the border of two continents, is a perfect place,’ Manturov points out.

In addition to Yekaterinburg, such cities as Izmir (Turkey), Ayutthaya (Thailand), Dubai (UAE), and Sao Paulo (Brazil) are also competing for the right to host the event.

The host city for the EXPO 2020 exhibition will be decided upon during the BIE General Assembly in Paris in late November 2013.