Ukraine continues for vie for right to host EXPO 2030 in Odessa

MOSCOW. Nov 23 (Interfax) - Staying true to its plans to host the EXPO 2030 fair in its city of Odessa, Ukraine has held the first meeting of the coordination committee to submit this application in 2023 and will present its work next week, Ukrainian First Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yulia Sviridenko said.

"The EXPO world fair is an event that has an extremely positive impact on the image of the host country and produces a powerful economic effect. Therefore, we should make every effort to properly present the Ukrainian application next week [...] EXPO 2030 should take place in Odessa," Ukrainian media quoted Sviridenko as saying in a statement.

The possibility for foreign donors, sponsors and philanthropists to help finance Ukraine's preparation and participation in the selection process is being considered, the Economy Ministry said.

The EXPO world fair, held once every five years, has a 170-year history.

Ukraine submitted its initial application to the International Exhibition Bureau on October 15, 2021 for participation in the selection process for EXPO 2030, offering to choose Odessa as the host city. An International Exhibition Bureau evaluation mission is due visit Kiev and Odessa in February-April 2023. Its members will assess Ukraine's motivation and will closely familiarize themselves with the city of Odessa, nominated to host the 2030 event. A winner will be announced at the 173rd General Assembly of the International Exhibition Bureau in November 2023.

The other candidates to host EXPO 2030 are Rome, Italy, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Busan, South Korea.

EXPO fairs may take place in the same region of the world no more than once every 15 years, the Economy Ministry said. This circumstance serves to bolster Ukraine's chances to host EXPO 2030, as Italy's Milan hosted the event in 2015, Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, in 2020, and EXPO 2025 is due to take place in Japan's Osaka.

The design of the EXPO 2030 venue's general plan and architectural concept worth 1.3 million euros was a present for Ukraine from well-known UK architectural bureau Zaha Hadid Architects.