Greece Pulls Out of 2025 World Expo in Osaka

OSAKA, Japan -- Greece has dropped out of the World Expo scheduled for next year in Osaka, Japan, citing fiscal constraints as the reason for its withdrawal.

The decision marks the eighth country to pull out of the event, which is expected to be attended by over 160 countries and thousands of visitors. The expo has been plagued by concerns about its ballooning costs, a major worry for participating nations.

Greece had initially planned to showcase itself at the expo but will instead use the "Type B" pavilion, which was supposed to be rented by Japan exclusively. However, the event organizer confirmed on Friday that Greece will not participate in the Expo 2025.

Meanwhile, Ukraine has stepped forward to join the expo and will now take part in the "Type C" pavilion, which was built by Japan and will be shared among all participating countries.

The decision comes after several other nations pulled out of the event, including Mexico, Estonia, Russia, Niue, Argentina, Afghanistan, and Niger. Despite the withdrawals, the organizer intends to proceed with the six-month extravaganza which is set to begin in April 2025.

Greece had initially expressed enthusiasm for participating in Expo 2025, but a statement released by the event organizer attributed its withdrawal to "unforeseen fiscal constraints."