Estonia will not join Latvia, Lithuania's joint EXPO pavilion
Estonia will not participate in the World EXPO in Japan this year even though it could join Lithuania and Latvia's joint pavilion, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications (MKM) said on Tuesday.
Latvia and Lithuania will attend the EXPO in Osaka in 2025 which runs between April to October. Estonia will not participate because it is too expensive, MKM has said.
The Latvian business development agency LIAA's Director Iveta Strupkaja said Estonia is the only European Union country not to participate.
"The original plan was for all three Baltic States to attend. It was the offer made by the organizers, but Estonia is the only EU Member that has elected not to participate, so it is up to Latvia and Lithuania to represent the Baltics," Strupkaja was quoted by LSM as saying.
The Nordic countries – Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark and Iceland – will also attend with a joint pavilion.
The government made its decision last spring. In May 2023, Minister of Economy Affairs and IT Tiit Riisalo (Eesti 200) told Japanese Ambassador Yukihiko Matsumura that Estonia would not participate. Upcoming budget cuts were one of the reasons given.
MKM told ERR on Tuesday the decision would not be reviewed.
"Participating in an EXPO requires a long period of preparation, even several years, in order to get the desired results. To be successful, it is necessary to organize prior visits by business delegations to the destination and to Estonia, to establish the necessary contacts and to carry out marketing. The decision whether or not to participate in EXPO is, therefore, not one that can be changed quickly," said Riina Soobik, MKM's media relations advisor.
Latvia put the cost of participating at €5.6 million. Soobik said Estonia's previous estimate was between €3.5-€4.5 million.
"In the context of today's need for budget cuts, it is also not appropriate to discuss finding funding to participate in the EXPO," she added.
A joint pavilion was proposed last year but rejected, Soobik said.
The government's decision was criticized by President Alar Karis, who believes Latvia and Lithuania should have been accepted, and the Riigikogu's Economic Committee as well as by business organizations.
At the previous EXPO in Dubai, Estonia participated in its pavilion.
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Editor: Helen Wright
