Astana World Expo to kick off, featuring "Future Energy"

Future Energy is expected to be a highlight at the 2017 World Expo which officially opens in the Kazakh capital, Astana on Saturday.

Astana 2017 Expo park [Photo: Xinhua]

121 countries and 21 international organizations are taking part in the three-month exhibition, which is being held in Central Asia for the first time.

It's estimated that approximately five million visitors will attend the event this year, 85 percent of whom are expected to be local. Of the foreign visitors, the majority will come from neighboring countries like Russia and China.

Akhmetzhan Yesimov, manager of the Astana 2017 Expo Corporation, says tickets have been selling well and Kazakhstan is ready to welcome guests from all around the world.

"We did a lot of publicity work in the preparation stage, including a road show in St. Petersburg and Moscow. So far we have sold over one million tickets to visitors from 44 different nations," he says.

Astana 2017 Expo park [Photo: Xinhua]

With increasing worldwide attention on energy issues, the focus of the World Expo this year is on how to safely and sustainably use energy while reducing the exploitation of natural resources.

Yesimov says the theme of "Future Energy" is a demanding topic for the world and new energy and techniques are crucial for Kazakhstan and other countries.

"For the short term, energy exports will still be the major force in our country's economic structure. But we need to keep an eye on the future and generally decrease our dependence on it, because oil after all, is a limited resource. For the Expo our goal is to create a platform to cope with energy crises, with as many as 121 countries involved discussing the issue," Yesimov notes.

As the World Expo host, Kazakhstan has spent millions of dollars on the construction of the expo site, which covers 174 hectares in total. Apart from the specially designed Kazakh pavilion at the centre of the park, other thematic pavilions and galleries have also been built for the Expo.

Astana 2017 Expo park [Photo: Xinhua]

Yesimov says after the exhibition, the site will be preserved and become a new landmark for Astana. Some venues will be re-purposed.

"We have made huge investments in the expo venues as part of an infrastructure plan. So we won't remove the venues when the exhibition ends. Some venues will be used in the creation of an Astana international financial center and a UN proposed 'World Green' economic center," he adds.

Additionally, a museum and an educational center will be set up within the expo grounds.

The Astana 2017 World Expo will run until September 10.