JAPAN’s prime minister Shinzo¯ Abe has requested Namibia to support his country’s bid to host the World Expo 2025.
Abe’s request came in the form of a letter delivered to president Hage Geingob by his emissary, ambassador Yoshifumi Okamura, at State House on Tuesday.
Russia and Azerbaijan are the other two countries also bidding to host World Expo 2025.
Okamura explained that hosting the expo in Japan’s Osaka will not only benefit Japan, but will also give all Africans a good chance to have a great exchange of commerce and cultural activities.
“So, I really hope that you, your excellency, would support Japan,” he said.
The selection of the winning bidder is scheduled to take place today in Paris, France.
Geingob said in his response that all three candidates are friends of Namibia.
“You are the first maybe to bring this kind of letter. But of course, we make decisions in consultation with the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation, [and] since it’s in a hurry, we will see what we can do,” he noted.
The world expo is held every five years.
Dubai will host the World Expo 2020 between 20 October 2020 and 10 April 2021 under the theme ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.
Okamura arrived in Namibia on Monday, and was expected to leave the country on Tuesday.
– Nampa
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