Meeting on the Preparation for “EXPO-2017″ International Specialized Exhibition

Opening the event, the Head of State, noted that EXPO exhibition has become a national project that can give impetus to the domestic economy and the development of new technologies. The President of Kazakhstan noted that the construction of the exhibition facilities is conducted in accordance with the schedule.

- There is one and a half year left before the start of the exhibition. All the construction works must be completed by the autumn of the next year. Despite the difficult economic situation, we are allocating all the necessary funds to prepare for the event. The construction involved contractors with considerable experience in Kazakhstan. We also carefully studied the experience of the exhibition held in Milan. Therefore, today there is no ambiguity in the organization of EXPO, – said Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The President of Kazakhstan also emphasized that all finishing works at the sites should be carried out with maximum use of domestic products in order to optimize costs. This issue was put under special control.

The Head of State drew attention to the importance of substantive content of the exhibition in accordance with the claimed topic.

- During visits to foreign countries and meetings with the leaders of the countries, the heads of large companies at all international platforms, I was talking about “EXPO-2017″. At the same time, all of them reacted with great attention and interest to the forthcoming exhibition, declaring their willingness to take part in it. This should be used, – said the President of Kazakhstan.

Nursultan Nazarbayev noted the intensification of works in this direction, instructing to continue it.

- The capacity of national and multinational companies is almost never used. They must take part in the exhibition, as it is a Kazakhstani-wide work. It should involve all subsoil users, who have to contribute thereto. There are only 2 memoranda of cooperation and 1 sponsorship agreement signed out of 39 subsoil users today. This is not sufficient, – said the Head of State.

The President of Kazakhstan emphasized that when working with large subsoil users, it is necessary to use their authority to attract the leading companies, such as Siemens, Samsung, Toyota and others who have new technologies, to EXPO-2017.

- Subsoil users have established contacts with such companies, where they purchase equipment and technologies worth billions of dollars. These contacts should be used in its entirety. It is desirable that every subsoil user has agreed with a global brand about the first presentation of their “know-how” at our exhibition. The First Deputy Prime Minister, B.Sagintayev, should address these issues as the person responsible for the preparation of EXPO-2017 in the Government, – said Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The Head of State drew attention to the need to involve primarily the leading countries in the field of alternative technologies.

- The number of participants is important, but issues of attracting countries, which are proven leaders in the latest developments, are even more relevant. This issue should be under special control of the Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, – said the President of Kazakhstan.

Nursultan Nazarbayev noted the importance of disclosing Kazakhstani culture, history and customs at the exhibition.

- It is necessary to prioritize the performances of the Kazakhstani figures of culture. Cultural and entertainment events should take place not only in the exhibition area, but throughout the city. Museums, exhibitions and theaters should be prepared to host guests at the highest level. The plan of cultural events has not been agreed yet. There is a necessity in coordination of activities of all the government agencies; I am instructing to accelerate this work, – said the Head of State.

The President of Kazakhstan pointed out the importance of ensuring security during the preparation and holding of the exhibition.

- It is necessary to take preventive measures to avoid any incidents during the events at the exhibition. These measures should be practiced, starting from today. Our special services and law enforcement agencies need to ensure security and the rule of law. The Ministry of Internal Affairs, National Security Committee and “Syrbar” must continue coordinated work in this area; the security of the capital and the exhibition itself depends on that. I am assigning to keep this issue under constant control to the Security Council, – said Nursultan Nazarbayev.

The Head of State stressed out the need to create favorable conditions for participants and guests of the exhibition, develop a clear schedule for its visit.

The President of Kazakhstan drew attention to the careful study of other areas, including the training of volunteers, provision of access to the exhibition for our compatriots.

Nursultan Nazarbayev instructed the Government to ensure coordination for all the issues at the appropriate level, and to report on the work being done on the regular basis.

Finally, the Head of State once again pointed out that the forthcoming exhibition is an important event for all the Kazakhstanis.

- There is a crisis situation in the world that hurts our country as well. Despite this, Kazakhstan continues to pursue preparations for the international exhibition, commission new facilities within the industrial policy, create new jobs. This shows the dynamics and capacities of our economy, – said the President of Kazakhstan.

During the meeting on the preparations for the exhibition and implementation of instructions given by the Head of State, the Chairman of the Board of Astana EXPO-2017 NC JSC, A. Yessimov, reported focusing on costs optimization for the construction of the fairgrounds. In particular, in the context of the restructuring of the company, the functions of departments have been detailed, the number of deputy chairmen and managing directors has been twice reduced, which allowed saving more than 150 million tenge.

A. Yessimov noted that due to the revision of certain architectural and construction decisions, expenditure would decline by 78 billion tenge, while maintaining the overall architectural appearance and functionality of the facilities.

- Special attention is given to the efficiency of the targeted use of budgetary funds. One of the measures of economy is increase in the Kazakhstani content and attraction of local entrepreneurs. Memoranda of cooperation have been signed with 10 regions; 220 domestic enterprises that employ more than 20 thousand employees have been involved in construction as a result; supplies worth 30 billion tenge have been provided, – said the Chairman of the Board of “Astana EXPO-2017″.

In addition, the Head of the National Company reported on progress in the promotion of the image of the exhibition and its thematic content. As noted by A. Yessimov, today, 53 countries and 11 international organizations have confirmed participation in the exhibition.

The Minister of Energy, V. Shkolnik, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ye. Idrissov, the Minister of Investment and Development, A. Issekeshev, the Minister of Culture and Sports, A.Mukhamediuly, the Mayor of Astana, A.Zhaksybekov, heads of contracting companies also made their speeches within the meeting.

http://gbpp.org/en/2015/11/12130