PARIS
The third presentation of Turkey's EXPO-hopeful city, Izmir was completed at the International Exhibitions Bureau (BIE) in Paris on Thursday.
The presentation was placed for why Izmir should be chosen to host the 2020 edition of the world's fair at the meeting of the BIE.
Speaking at the BIE, Turkish Minister of Culture and Tourism Ertugrul Gunay said that each candidate city has its own features. He said that since the antiquity, Izmir has been charming and attractive centre.
He said that in near future the ancient cities of Ephesus, Pergamon and Birgi will take their place in the UNESCO World Heritage list. These graceful cities of ancient times and the modern city of Izmir will welcome EXPO.
Governor of Izmir, Cahit Kirac also delivered a speech at the presentation and stated that the Turkish government decided to invest more than 50 billion USD in the region for EXPO until the year of 2020.
Kirac said that since 1851 Izmir prides itself for attending EXPOs and added, "After 169 years, our aim is to host EXPO 2020 in our city which is the centre of three continents."
Presentations for the candidate countries are scheduled for today at a General Assembly meeting of the International Exhibitions Bureau in Paris.
Candidates along with Turkey's western port city of Izmir are Russia's Yekaterinburg, Thailand's Ayutthaya, Brazil's Sao Paulo, and the United Arab Emirates' Dubai.
The voting for the 2020 EXPO host will be held next year in November.
