24 November 2021 в 07:01

Sergei Sobyanin about the necessity to hold the World Universal Exhibition - Expo in Moscow

If Russia wins, there are plans to build an exhibition complex near Vnukovo Airport for the World Exhibition.

Moscow has a good chance to become a venue forthe World Universal Expo - in 2030. Sergei Sobyanin wrote about this in his blog. On April 29 of this year, the Russian capital submitted an application for the right to host the exhibition.

"If Moscow wins the right to host Expo-2030, then for the whole six months our city will become the world capital of science, industry and technology. Russia has something to show our guests in this area. On the other hand, Expo will be a unique opportunity to see the main achievements of world civilization in Moscow. Such a chance simply cannot be missed," said the Mayor of Moscow.

Besides Moscow, Busan (South Korea), Rome (Italy), Odessa (Ukraine) and Riyadh (Saudi Arabia) pretend the right to host Expo-2030. The winner will be determined in the summer of 2023.

Sergei Sobyanin recalled that Russia has been participating in the World Exhibition since 1851. Domestic pavilions and inventions have been recognized as the best more than once. For example, in 1937, Vera Mukhina's monument Worker and Collective Farmer, installed against the background of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, was a splash. In 1958, the world saw the first satellite of the Earth at an exhibition in Brussels, and the Soviet pavilion at Expo 1967 in Montreal broke all popularity records, hosting 12 million people. Today, the legacy of these exhibitions — the sculpture Worker and Collective Farmer and the Montreal pavilion — adorns VDNKh.

However, in the entire history of Expo, Russia has never hosted this event.

"Moscow is the most obvious contender for this honor. Our city has hosted events of a global scale more than once. The 1957 World Festival of Youth and Students, the Olympics-80, the 2018 FIFA World Cup presented a holiday to millions of citizens. We have attracted numerous tourists to our city. And they left a large footprint on the Moscow history," Sergei Sobyanin stressed.

If Moscow wins, the exhibition will be held in Troitsky and Novomoskovsky Administrative Districts (near Vnukovo Airport).

"In a couple of years, the metro will come to Vnukovo. And if our application wins, the Solntsevskaya branch can be extended for another one or two stations to the future exhibition complex," the Moscow Mayor added.

Thus, a new point of attraction with a developed infrastructure will appear in the city. In the future, the exhibition complex can be used for large-scale congress and exhibition, sports or entertainment events.

The first big step in promoting Moscow's bid is participation in Expo 2020, which is taking place in Dubai.

"At this exhibition, tourists from all over the world will be able to see and hear the Russian capital. Moscow culture in Dubai is represented by the Moscow Virtuosi Orchestra, the Helikon Opera, the Igor Butman Jazz Orchestra and the Gzhel Dance Theater. There will be a Moscow film festival and a series of fashion shows of our fashionistas. And as part of the Moscow Gastronomical Weeks culinary festival, Dubai restaurants will offer guests their own versions of famous dishes from Moscow chefs," Sergei Sobyanin added.

More than 500 thousand people have already visited the Russian pavilion at Expo 2020 in Dubai. More than 2.35 million people became guests of the World Exhibition during the first month of work.

The World Universal Exhibition (Expo) is the largest international event, the participating countries of which present themselves to the world. It demonstrates the latest solutions in technology and science, cultural achievements and new architectural masterpieces, and in recent years the initiatives in solving global problems. On this platform, the image of the countries is formed and a dialogue takes place between them. Expo is a unique platform for public diplomacy and national branding.

Anyone can support Moscow's bid to host the World Exhibition in 2030. To do this, you need to post a photo on social networks with your favorite view of the capital and the hashtag #vremyaexpo. The authors of the best works will receive gifts from the Moscow Expo — 2030 bid committee.