Kazakhstan, Astana, July 24 / Trend, D. Mukhtarov /
The combination of the international exhibition EXPO-2107 and 22nd World Petroleum Congress in Astana is a reasonable and pragmatic decision, Azerbaijani Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador to Kazakhstan Zakir Hashimov told Trend today.
"This is my personal opinion," he stressed. "I am working in your country and see its progress. But this is not the official position of my country."
According to him, all EXPO infrastructure will be built in Astana in 2017.
"A topic of this international exhibition may be the subject of discussion for members of the world oil business," the ambassador added.
Earlier, the Kazakh government made a decision to combine the 22nd World Petroleum Congress (WPC) and the World Specialized Exhibition EXPO-2017, which will start in Astana in July 2017.
Kazakhstan made a bid in early 2013 to host the WPC. It rivals Astana - Houston (USA), Istanbul (Turkey) and Copenhagen (Denmark). A winner will be determined during voting. The results will be announced in Calgary (Canada) on October 23, 2013. Each of the participants presented their bids for holding the 22nd World Petroleum Congress.
Kazakhstan will host the World Specialized Exhibition EXPO-2017 in 2017. Around 5 million people are expected to attend it.
Modern exhibition centers and hotels will be built and infrastructure facilities will be improved for EXPO-2017 in Astana.