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Mr. Zhoshybayev, who is on a three-day visit to India to promote Expo-2017 this week, said the objective behind his visit was to promote the main ideas and themes of the event, to get the Indian Government's official confirmation of participation in the event, to hold negotiations with the Indian leadership and to establish contact with leading Indian companies that have specialized in the sphere of alternative energy sources.
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Mr. Zhoshybayev revealed to ANI that he had met with Ms. Sujata Mehta, Secretary (ER and DPA) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Commerce Secretary Rita Teotia, Mr. Narendra Kumar Sinha, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Tourism, Mr. Ajay Kumar Bhalla, the President of the India Trade Promotion organization (ITPO), Mr. Subhash Goyal, the President of the Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), besides representatives of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Karnataka Government officials and manufacturers in that state. He also made a presentation to the Bengaluru-based Indian Institute of Sciences (IIS).
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He said that his discussions primarily focused on further prospects for bilateral cooperation between Kazakhstan and India in the fields of trade, tourism, green energy and participation in Expo-2017.
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Mr. Zhoshybayev said Expo-2017 would be held from June 10, 2017 to September 10, 2017, and added that Kazakhstan was expecting the participation of about 100 nations and 15 international organizations. He said that arrangements are being made to receive an anticipated five million visitors. The Kazakh deputy foreign minister revealed that so far he has visited more than 30 countries and received confirmation of participation. Four out of the 15 international organizations have also confirmed that they will attend the event, he added.
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As far as India was concerned, Mr. Zhoshybayev told ANI that it has been agreed in principle to give New Delhi an additional 1000 square meters of space at the Expo-2017 venue so that it can maximize potential for promotion of clean sources of energy in the Indian context. He also said that the Kazakh Government may allocate some more space away from the main exhibition venue to India.
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"We want Expo-2017 to coincide with the Days of India festival in Astana. We have met the Indian side to boost tourist inflows to Kazakhstan. We want Kazakhs to have a better understanding of Indian culture, especially Bollywood. Our bilateral economic ties are also on the upswing. India is ranked second in Asia in terms of trade turnover (USD 1.5 billion)," Mr. Zhoshybayev said.
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"We both (Kazakhstan and India) are looking at new avenues for improving business ties. We have discussed with Indian officials the possibility of easing visa procedures, having more flights between New Delhi and Astana, a plan for any individual to stay in Kazakhstan for three days without a visa and putting a system in place where buying an air ticket to Astana will give Indians free access to Expo-2017. Basically what I am saying and emphasizing is that Kazakhstan is and will always be open to India," he added.
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When specifically asked whether Expo-2017 can be compared to the recently held expos in Shanghai and Milan in terms of outreach and preparation, the Kazakh deputy foreign minister replied in the negative. He said their identities were more universal than Expo-2017.
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He said that immediate future plans have included the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the National Company of Kazakhstan and Expo and ITPO and organizing a major international energy conference in 2016 where Indian energy experts and scientists will be invited for participation.
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Kazakhstan, Mr. Zhoshybayev said is actively engaged in trying to produce more uranium, building atomic power plants and promoting thermo-nuclear synthesis.
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When asked what steps Kazakhstan was taking towards improving connectivity with India, the deputy foreign minister said Kazakhstan has said rail connectivity has been established between Kazakhstan and the Iran port of Bandar Abbas via Turkmenistan, and added that Kazakh Railway was in talks with their Indian counterpart on ways to have access to this route for enhancing bilateral trade.
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Expo 2017 will come up on 174 hectares of land, out of which, 25 hectares of land has been set aside for pavilions.
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The exhibition site will have convenient access to Astana's city center, the international airport and the railway station, and will also be linked with a network of Kazakhstan's inter-city roads to ensure quick access from across Kazakhstan.
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The construction of pavilions began in April 2014 with 20 companies from Kazakhstan and 49 companies from around the globe taking part.
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Currently, designs are being considered for the grounds of Expo 2017 from architects in the UK, USA, Germany, Austria, Netherlands and China.
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On April 24, 2014, President Nursultan Nazarbayev took part in a capsule-laying ceremony of the Astana EXPO-2017 Exhibition Center, which is coming up near the Nazarbayev University.
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Astana submitted their registration bid for the Bureau of International Exhibitions (BIE) in December 2013. India and the United States are still not members of the BIE.
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