Bangladesh is preferring Russia over the United Arab Emirates for hosting the World Expo 2020, a move which many are considering as a “diplomatic disaster.”
The candidates for the World Expo 2020 – a large public exhibition which is held in varying parts of the world – are Dubai of the UAE, Ekaterinburg of Russia, Izmir of Turkey and Sao Paulo of Brazil. A vote for hosting the event will be held on November 27 in Paris.
“Out of the all the cities, Dubai is the most important for Bangladesh, but the government has decided to vote for the Russian city on political grounds,” said a diplomat, seeking anonymity.
Bangladesh has a friendly relationship with the UAE, where around one million Bangladeshis work to bring in billions of dollars of remittance.
Foreign Minister Dipu Moni had recently received a phone call from her UAE counterpart seeking Bangladesh’s support in this regard, the diplomat added.
Another diplomat, also seeking anonymity, said Bangladesh opted for the Russian city as there was a negotiation that Russia might facilitate a visit of its President Vladimir Putin to Bangladesh in exchange for Dhaka’s support for Ekaterinburg.
He said Bangladesh could still vote for Dubai without antagonising Moscow.
“It is almost certain that Dubai would win the election and it would create massive job opportunities, as the Gulf country would need to build huge infrastructure for the Expo,” the diplomat said.
“Even if we get a chunk of that, it would create job opportunities for many,” he added.
