EXPO-2017 buildings in Astana to serve science

The buildings of EXPO-2017 will serve for development of science in Kazakhstan, Tengrinews.kz reports citing an accountable secretary of Kazakhstan Foreign Ministry Rapil Zhoshybayev as saying at the briefing of Kazakhstan Central Communications Service. “Part of the exhibition facilities and platforms may be used as scientific laboratories, scientific centers and research institutes after the exhibition is held. We want to use the buildings erected as the EXPO-village and the hotels in future as a government resident buildings pool. This will help resolve social issues and development of our capital,” Zhoshybayev said. He also said that the plan is to open a research center after the international exhibition is over. The center will be transferred to Nazarbayev University. “There is a suggestion to open a science museum or something like this. I think there will be a lot of know-how and ideas at the exhibition,” Zhoshybayev said. Speaking about the location of the EXPO-2017 exhibition complex he said that the area allocated for the exhibition was 113 hectares large. It was reserved by the city administration for the construction and is located at the Millennium Alley. “The alley combines numerous facilities of political and cultural significance for the city. Thus, constructing the exhibition complex at the Millennium Alley will be a logical way to continue the urban development of the city. You know, if you start with Khan Shatyr and go further along the Alley: Akorda, the Pyramid, the Independence Palace, and moving further you will reach the bypass road. The EXPO-village will be located over there, close to the city center,” Zhoshybayev said. According to him, the calculations were performed jointly with the city administration prior to the voting. “250 million Euro were allocated from the state budget for the infrastructure, construction of communications and preparation of the location,” he said and added that the plan was to attract around 1 billion Euro of foreign investments. “In general, the expenses to arrange the exhibition will reach around 1 billion Euro. This includes construction of the pavilions and hotels, etc. This will be mainly paid out of the attracted investments. This is the average amount spent to hold an EXPO around the world,” Zhoshybayev added. According to the representative of the Foreign Ministry, the “hard work” of the city’s construction companies, ministries and authorities to attract the investments will start in January. Earlier Tengrinews.kz English reported that hosting EXPO-2017 would cost Kazakhstan $1.5 billion. Astana won the bid to host EXPO-2017. Kazakhstan’s main competitor was the Belgian city of Liege. Astana got 103 votes, while Liege received only 44. By Aidana Ussupova