Romania at Expo 2017 Astana
The Magurele laser project attracts large numbers of visitors at the Astana World Expo
Roxana Vasile, 31.07.2017, 12:37
At the end of last week, Romanias Day was celebrated at the 2017 World Expo, held in the capital of Kazakhstan, Astana. From officials to visitors, participants marked the occasion, with a show given by an association of ethnic Romanians living in the Kazakh city of Karaganda and by the famed Romanian panpipe player Gheorghe Zamfir. On that occasion, the director of the Romanian Cultural Institute Liliana Turoiu said:
“I am happy and I would like to note something: nowadays, the modern concept of culture is no longer limited to the arts or the humanities. It has broadened to include new technologies and the sciences as well, because these new technologies are changing not only our present, but also our future.”
The core of the Romanian pavilion in Astana is the ELI project, under which the worlds strongest laser will be built in Magurele, near Bucharest. The project perfectly suits the theme of this years World Expo, namely “Future Energy.” With 5 tablets connected to a scale model of the laser, the organisers of the Romanian pavilion reconstruct or simulate the process of obtaining a light beam. According to the Radio Romania special correspondent in Astana, lots of visitors are fascinated with the technology displayed, and ask for details about how it would work once the project IS completed. As for experts, last week they had meetings, hoping to be able to work as part of the Magurele project.
The director of the Nuclear Physics and Engineering Institute, Nicolae Zamfir, explained:
“ELI is not a project designed for Romania alone, but rather an international project. This is how it was created and this is how it will be. We hope researchers from the whole world will take part. Because this is the only way the outcomes can match the investment and the financial effort that Romania has made.”
The exhibition in Astana may be a first step towards attracting investments that are profitable in the long run, the Commissioner of the Romanian pavilion, Mihai Dediu said:
“As we have already said before, this is not a trade fair, but I am quite confident that it will nonetheless be followed by contracts that will mean a lot for the Romanian economy.”
In turn, the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu has stated that Romanias presence in Astana confirms the countrys potential in the energy sector:
“We are able to come up with projects that are substantially ahead of our times – and I mean the laser project in Magurele, which is regarded as probably the most revolutionary project presented in the Astana edition of World Expo.”
The 2017 World Expo in Astana began on June 10 and is due to end on September 10, and until then the Magurele laser scale model will continue to draw visitors to the Romanian pavilion.
(Translated by Ana Maria Popescu)
