Expo 2017 Astana, with the theme of “Future Energy”, was inaugurated on Friday with an opening speech by Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, and with a lights and fireworks show that lit up the sky of the Central Asian nation’s ultramodern capital.
The international event aims to be a magnetic center that binds together ideas from participating countries and organizations on types of alternative and renewable energy.
Seventeen heads of state and government from around the world, including King Felipe VI of Spain and leaders of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member countries, consisting of Russia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Pakistan and India, attended the inauguration.
One object of the visitors’ admiration is the Nur Alem pavilion, symbol of the expo and the world’s largest spherical construction measuring 80 meters (262 feet) in diameter.
Also onstage to amaze was a multimedia show at the capital’s Congress Center with robots and humans moving in perfect harmony to act out the energy theme with a contemporary aesthetic.
More than 1,000 cultural events enliven the expo. Entertainment will also include 71 acts by the Cirque du Soleil, designed especially for the expo, at a price of 12 to 18 euros, plus concerts by Placido Domingo, Steve Aoki, Eros Ramazzotti, Afrojack and more.
The international exposition is expected to attract from 2 million to 5 million visitors.
Expo 2017 Astana seeks to reflect the importance of progressing toward a worldwide energy system based more and more on types of renewable energy, which will help reduce CO2 emissions, end dependence on oil and increase the energy autonomy of the different regions and communities of the world.