Russia withdraws from hosting Expo 2030, slams 'large-scale anti-Russian campaign' by West

Russia has unilaterally withdrawn from its bid to host EXPO 2030 in Moscow, slamming the West's 'large-scale anti-Russian campaign' and Russophobia. In a statement on May 23, Russia's foreign ministry stated that Moscow cannot expect a " fair competition" under the current circumstances as the West has launched scathing attacks on the Russian regime due to the military intervention in Ukraine.

"Obviously, Moscow's bid for hosting EXPO 2030 cannot count on a fair and impartial assessment in competition with the other four candidates, no matter what indisputable advantages it might have," the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Monday. 

Hence, "the Russian Federation has decided in principle to voluntarily withdraw Moscow's bid for hosting EXPO 2030," it added.

Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) was duly notified on May 23 about Russia's withdrawal. "We want to believe that in the foreseeable future the global exhibition movement will return to its historical roots and resume non-political, strictly applied activities. Hopefully, conditions necessary for Russia's participation in the equal race for hosting EXPO will eventually emerge," Russia  MFA iterated. As many as five countries submitted competing candidatures to organize the event, namely Russia, South Korea, Italy, Ukraine, and Saudi Arabia.

Announcing the cancellation of the bid, the Russian Prime Minister noted that "by voluntarily making this difficult decision, Russia hoped that in the foreseeable future the global exhibition movement will return to its historical roots, when it was engaged in non-political and purely applied activities." 

Countries endorse support for UAE to host EXPO 2030

Expo 2030 exhibition's press service underscored that Russia's Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin has sent a letter and the decision was duly accepted. "We regret to state that the international exhibition movement has become another victim of the desire of a number of countries to pursue a politicized line in an anti-Russian spirit," Mishustin's letter read. "Taking into account the decisions made recently by the International Exhibitions Bureau, there is no need to expect an honest competitive campaign to choose the venue for the Expo-2030 World Universal Exhibition," the press service reported, citing Mishustin's letter.

As Moscow pulled out, several countries including Mauritania announced their support for Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo in Riyadh. Mauritanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Cooperation, and Mauritanians Abroad said that they “fully support” the Saudi bid, according to a statement.  Mauritania highlighted close ties between the two nations and the Gulf country’s role in the Arab and Islamic world. Morocco and Uganda also similarly announced on Sunday it supports the Kingdom’s submission to host one of the most prestigious international expositions.“By royal instruction, Morocco announces its support for Saudi Arabia’s candidacy file to host Expo 2030 in the city of Riyadh,” the country’s foreign ministry said on Twitter.