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Greece supports Izmir

The Prime Minister of Greece, Kostas Karamanlis, who came to Turkey for an official

visit, gave the promise of supporting Izmir’s bid for EXPO 2015.

Mr. Karamanlis gave a speech in Istanbul at Turkish-Greek Business Forum where Turkish Prime Minister - Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Minister of Foreign Affairs - Ali Babacan, the Chairperson of the Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey (TOBB) - Rifat Hisarciklioglu, the President of Turkish Industrialists’ and Businessmen’s Association (TUSIAD) - Arzuhan Dogan Yalcindag and many Turkish and Greek Businessmen attended. Regarding Mr. Hisarciklioglu’s call for supporting Izmir’s bid for EXPO 2015, Mr. Karamanlis said “Greece is going to support Izmir’s candidacy in terms of economic and commercial cooperation, and the Greek business community will also demonstrate itself in the strongest way possible”.

Prime Minister Erdogan: “EXPO 2015 Izmir will be our common project”
Prime Minister Erdogan thanked Mr. Karamanlis for Greece’s support for Turkey in the competition between Izmir and Milan for hosting EXPO 2015, and added that in the case of Izmir’s winning the bid for EXPO 2015, this giant organization is going to be the common project of two friendly nations of the region. Mr.Erdogan also said “I would like to thank my honorable friend Kostas for his support. Actually, this is a project that is going to unite us. After the voting process on March 31st, EXPO will become our common project”.

The Secretary General of the Bureau of International Exhibitions (BIE) Vincente Loscertales congratulated Izmir and Turkey for designating the theme of “Health for All” at the symposium being held.

Loscertales said that for the first time in the EXPO’s 150-year history a theme of health was used, speaking at the symposium of “The first International Health for All” organized to promote Izmir’s bid to host EXPO 2015.

“I cannot think of a universal theme, but health. It is the most important issue in our lives. For that reason I congratulate Turkey and Izmir for designating health as a theme. There is a need to create a common synergy about health. And thanks to EXPO, an atmosphere of dialogue between nations can be created. Izmir, with EXPO 2015, has the potential to create a dialogue economically and socially,” he said. Underlining that it was very important to select a theme of health at an international meeting, Loscertales said, “that is because all countries are in agreement about health.”

Noting that Turkey is located at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and is a symbol of cultural and ethnic unity and Izmir has been a center of health, said that the city, which is on a crossroad of West and East, North and South, has been home to various cultures.

Speaking at the first session of the symposium, EXPO Consultant Carmen Bueno said that Izmir had a successful theme for EXPO. Stating that she worked with many different themes, Bueno said: “The theme has to be flexible. It has to have capacity. It has to attract attention and concern all. Izmir’s theme of health includes them all. It also overlaps with Zaragoza’s ‘water’ theme for EXPO 2008, and Shangai’s ‘better cities and lives’ for 2010.

Expo Organization Committee member, Frederica Busa, said that 2015 will be unique in terms of its theme. Busa said that people remember the names of the cities where EXPO is held. “No one remembers the theme of EXPO 1970. Therefore we have to put the theme first. The people coming to Izmir should remember that the theme was health. Previously heads of states also used to participate in this event. This would also increase participation. I am now happy to see top level officials in Izmir,” Busa said.

Izmir EXPO 2015 Promotion Committee member, Solmaz Unaydin, said EXPO will cover an area of 370 hectares. About 168 hectares will be the exhibition area and 119 hectares will be parks and car parks. He said approximately 340,000 people were expected to visit daily.

“The number of guests we aim to reach is 39 million. The total number of stands at the fair will be 94. Around 70 countries will have stands and 128 countries are expected to visit,” Ünaydýn said. The event if held in Izmir is expected to see the city make a profit of 95 million euros.

“Natural disasters are increasing in number. Global warming is becoming a bigger threat ever day. New viruses will appear in the future. We should take precautions before it is too late, because we have no other place to go,” said Professor Ziya Kirkali from Dokuz Eylul University. (TDN)