Today, the Director of EXPO 2027 d.o.o. Belgrade, Danilo Jerinić, and the Minister of Internal and Foreign Trade of the Government of the Republic of Serbia and Commissioner General for Expo 2027 Belgrade, Jagoda Lazarević, on one hand, and Alexey Gruzdev, Commissioner of the Russian Federation for Expo 2027 Belgrade, on the other hand signed the Participation Agreement of the Russian Federation in the Specialised Exhibition Expo 2027 Belgrade.
The signing of this Agreement formalises the engagement of the Russian Federation and initiates further operational steps for the participation of the Russian Federation as an official participant, in accordance with the rules and procedures of the Bureau International des Expositions (BIE) and the practice established by the Paris Convention on International Exhibitions of 1928.
Addressing the media after the signing, Minister and Commissioner General for Expo 2027 Belgrade Jagoda Lazarević emphasised that the Russian Federation would have a large and very attractive pavilion at a prestigious location within the Expo 2027 complex, which, according to her, would bring an additional value to the project, which is of strategic importance for the Republic of Serbia.
According to her, the signing of the Participation Agreement represents yet another way for the two sides to express their readiness and commitment to further strengthening overall bilateral relations and enhancing economic cooperation, as well as confirming that Expo 2027 will be an opportunity for the Russian Federation to present itself in the best possible light.
“The theme of the Exhibition provides an opportunity to showcase everything they are truly capable of and possess when we speak about play, sport, as well as certain other areas that will certainly be important when it comes to economic cooperation,” Lazarević stated.
She assessed that the presence of the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry of the Russian Federation, who is simultaneously the Commissioner for Expo 2027, in Belgrade represented an important step on the further joint path towards May 2027, when Belgrade will open its doors to all participants.
“Until then, a great deal of work is in front of us, including construction activities on the site, the completion of the pavilions, and a major meeting of all participants to be held in March, where we certainly expect our Russian partners,” Lazarević concluded.
The Director, Danilo Jerinić, stated that the signing of the Participation Agreement with the Russian Federation represented a very important step for Expo 2027, bearing in mind that the event is the largest of its kind in our history to date. Jerinić expressed confidence that Russia, considering the manner in which it had presented itself at previous Expo events, would present its programme equally successfully in Belgrade in 2027.
He expressed hope that Russia would be awarded for its exhibition and programme during Expo 2027, recalling that the country had experience with awards at previous Expo events.
The Commissioner of the Russian Federation for Expo 2027 Belgrade, Alexey Gruzdev, stated that Russia supported Serbia during its candidacy to host Expo 2027 and expressed satisfaction with our country’s victory.
He pointed out that Russia had been participating in Expo exhibitions since 1981 and that they eagerly looked forward to presenting new technologies and new solutions.
“That will be the case in 2027 as well. Our pavilion will represent our country with dignity and will help us to live up to the theme proposed by the Republic of Serbia. We will demonstrate that play is one of the essential forms of life, and our slogan will be Play to be - I play in order to live, in order to exist. We will show how important play is for various spheres and areas of life, for music, for medicine, for high technologies, and for that reason we look towards 2027 with confidence, knowing that a great deal of work awaits all of us,” Gruzdev emphasised. He added that Russia would be presented at Expo in all segments, both business and cultural.
The ceremonial signing was also attended by the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Serbia, Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko, as well as the Trade Representative of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Serbia, Irina Negrebetskaya.
