Economic Minister assures investments into EXPO-2017 will be recouped

All the money Kazakhstan plans to inject to host the EXPO-2017 will be fully recouped, Tengrinews reports citing the country’s Minister of Economic Affairs Yerbolat Dossayev as saying when speaking in the Majilis (the Lower Chamber of the Kazakhstan Parliament) earlier today. “All the investments will be fully recouped (…) part of the exposition areas could be further used for various business purposes … some research laboratories will complement the Nazarbayev University’s assets”, the Minister said. He elaborated that 8 national laws are going to be amended to facilitate the EXPO-2017. They seek to simplify the construction processes. EXPO-2017 is the next scheduled International Exposition after Expo 2015 and will be the first of its type since Expo 2012. The expos in 2010, 2015, 2020 and every 5 years thereafter are considered "universal expos" by the Bureau of International Expositions (BIE) and the 2017 event will be one of the "recognized" expos with a specialized theme that alternate with the "universal expos" (Kazakhstan’s theme will be future energy). Kazakhstan’s President Nursultan Nazarbayev has earlier assured that Kazakhstan will do its best to make sure the EXPO-2017 is held at the highest possible level. About 5 million people are expected to attend the events. All the exposition pavilions are to be completed by the end of 2016 so that participants could have ample time to arrange national exposition sections. Tengrinews reported earlier, citing Ms. Gaukhar Beisseyeva, Vice Head of the Foreign Ministry’s External Economic Policy Department, that Kazakhstan plans to earmark $1.5 billion to construct facilities accommodating the EXPO-2017.