(right) Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Xavier Bettel;
Credit: MAEE
On Thursday 25 January 2024, Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Xavier Bettel, went on a working visit to Japan, to Osaka.
He participated in a ceremony marking the commencement of construction for the Luxembourg pavilion for the 2025 Universal Exhibition.
The 2025 World Expo in Osaka will be themed “Designing the society of the future, imagining our lives tomorrow”. The main theme and sub-themes ('Saving Lives'; 'Inspiring Lives'; 'Connecting Lives') are in line with the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the UN to create an inclusive, fair and sustainable society, the Luxembourg Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Cooperation and Foreign Trade added.
The Luxembourg pavilion, designed by the Luxembourg architectural firm Steinmetzdemeyer, is themed “Doki Doki - The Luxembourg Heartbeat”, the Japanese expression which designates enthusiastic and joyful heartbeats, which constitutes the common thread of the visitor experience in the Luxembourg pavilion.
Minister Bettel noted that the Luxembourg pavilion was designed according to the principles of circularity: “The circular nature of the pavilion and the importance of responsible and respectful management of natural resources are among the main messages conveyed by the Luxembourg participation in the Expo. In addition, the pavilion must be built so that deconstruction after the Expo can allow the reuse of part of the construction materials.”
Minister Bettel stressed that Luxembourg's participation in the Universal Exhibition will make it possible to further expand bilateral relations between Japan and Luxembourg, noting in this context that Luxembourg is among the first participating countries to organise a ceremony launching the works. Luxembourg's participation in Expo 2025 will mark the Grand Duchy’s 25th participation in a universal exhibition.
Minister Bettel will continue his working visit tomorrow in Tokyo, where he will have further bilateral meetings with members of the Japanese government.
