Daily Yomiuri, Japan
June 8 2005
AICHI EXPO 2005 / Expo head stresses harmony
Hiroko Ihara / Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer
Bernard Testu, chairman of the operating committee of the 2005 World
Exposition Aichi, on Tuesday emphasized the harmony between the
Japanese organizers and the international community as represented by
the international pavilions at the expo.
Testu, 50, who also heads the French Pavilion, told The Daily Yomiuri
that the theme of the expo, “Nature’s Wisdom,” is extremely
appropriate for the time.
“It’s important for people today, especially those in developed
countries like Japan,” Testu said. “It can make all people concerned
about the [environment] issue, including those who weren’t interested
before.”
He said he was proud of the popularity of the French Pavilion, which
has attracted more than 1 million visitors. One of the main
attractions is the Immersion Theater, which provides huge cubic
images that focus on the problems faced by humans.
“Poverty, water resources, intensive famine, energy supply, waste.
[Of these problems] the most serious one is extreme poverty,” Testu
said. It still exists in the 21st century and causes many deaths, he
added.
Testu who served at the past two expositions for the French
government, spoke about the themes of the next two
expositions–“Water and Sustainable Development” in Spain in 2008 and
“Better City, Better Life” in China in 2010.
“The theme for 2008 is related to that of the present one,” he said.
“The following one is important as by 2010, it’s said four out of
five people in the world will live in urban areas. But for me, it
might be ‘Better Country, Better Life’ as France has a rich
countryside, so I have mixed feelings about it.”
Addressing the role of international expositions, he said: “Expos
give time to think to governments, administrators, companies and also
the average person. It’s important to take time just to think.”
Meanwhile, Armenia marked its national day at the expo with Prime
Minister Andranik Margarian in attendance at Expo Hall.
After being welcomed by people waving tricolored Armenian national
flags and the playing of the national anthem, Margarian praised the
expo was showing the diversity of the international community.
He said that to achieve international integration, each nation needed
to have basic values and develop its own individual culture.
A jazz performance featuring the duduk, an ethnic Armenian wind
instrument, followed his speech.