ASTANA, Kazakhstan, January 24, 2014/PRNewswire/– The transition to a “Green Economy” has been a main priority of Kazakhstan the past several years. In 2012, our capital Astana, won its bid to host EXPO2017with ‘Future Energy’ as the theme. This subsequently led to the adoption of “green” development.

From 18 to 22 January 2014, Kazakhstan participated in Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week in the capital of the UAE. According to Talgat Yermegiyayev, the Chairman of the Astana EXPO-2017’s National Company JSC, the summit provides the ideal platform for cooperation with key partners in future energy sector projects.

Kazakhstan presented its Astana EXPO2017 pavilion at the exhibition that was organized as part of the WFES’s program. During the opening ceremony, the President of Senegal, Mr. Machy Sall, paid a visit to Kazakhstan’s pavilion. He was given a tour explaining all of the exhibit’s content, including the EXPO theme and site. Among official guests, Maria van der Hofen, the Executive Director of the International Energy Agency visited our pavilion, along with Marie Jose Nadu, the Chairman of the World Energy Council. Marie Jose Nadu expressed interest in knowing more about the subject ‘Future Energy’ of EXPO-2017 at the Energy Council Meeting in Astana. – It’s a great opportunity for all CIS countries to attract as much investment as possible into the energy industry – Ms. Nadu said.

The Kazakhstan pavilion was a popular venue during the summit, thanks to its highly interactive features. Visitors could record their own video testimonials on the theme of ‘Future Energy” and download them on the EXPO-2017 web-site (expo2017astana.com), as well as engage in a number of different learning activities built around the theme of EXPO-2017

Days earlier, the representatives of JSC “NC “Astana EXPO-2017” had met with the coordinator of the organizing committee for Dubai EXPO-2020, Mr. Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, of The Emirates Group. During that occasion, Mr Al Maktoum announced the creation of a new company in Dubai, specifically tasked with developing, organizing and implementing the exhibition’s works. He also expressed his desire to actively participate in the preparation and the running of EXPO2017 in Astana.

During the summit days, the Kazakhstan delegation visited the city of Masdar. This is the first city on the planet with zero carbon dioxide emissions, which uses only renewable energy sources for its infrastructure. The EXPO2017 team intends to draw from the experience of Masdar City in the field of urban and ecological design.