47

The First Expert Forum "Russia – Central Asia: the Agenda of Joint Development" was held in Astana (the Republic of Kazakhstan) on October 18, 2022. The Forum was devoted to the problems and prospects of cooperation between the countries of Central Asia (CA) and Russia in a wide range of areas.

The event was organized by the Primakov National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IMEMO) and the Kazakhstan Institute of Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (KazISS).

The panel discussions focused on the main areas of cooperation between Russia and the countries of Central Asia: the economy, regional security, human capital development and interaction in the information field. The participants were the heads and leading specialists of key institutions of Russia and the countries of Central Asia, among them: IMEMO (Russia), KazISS (Kazakhstan), Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan (ISRS), International University of Central Asia (IUCA, Uzbekistan), Center for Strategic Research under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan (CSR), National Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic (NISS KR), etc.

"Today's expert forum seems to me an important event for an open and constructive discussion of the priority areas of cooperation between the Central Asian countries and Russia," said Aigul Kuspan, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defense and Security of Mazhilis of Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

At the opening of the event Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the Russian Federation Yermek Kosherbayev also spoke, who noted the deep and complex nature of the relations of the Central Asian countries with the Russian Federation.

According to Alexey Borodavkin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Kazakhstan, our countries face common national security challenges and the most vulnerable category is the youth.

Feodor Voitolovsky, Director of IMEMO, emphasized that in the changing international political conditions it is extremely important to have constant contacts between the countries not only at the official, but also at the scientific and expert level.

Yerkin Tukumov, director of KazISS, also stressed the importance of the region and the need for constant dialogue in the field of security.

Khairiddin Usmonzoda, Director of the Center for Strategic Research under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan, noted that the development of economic cooperation meets the national interests of Russia and the countries of Central Asia.

Anvar Nasirov, Director of the International University of Central Asia (Uzbekistan), called for deepening cooperation in key areas.

Ermek Checheybayev, Deputy Head of the National Institute for Strategic Studies under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic, called for seeking new formats of cooperation.

On the margins of the Forum, a Memorandum of Cooperation was signed between IMEMO and KazISS under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. 

The format of expert meetings "Russia – Central Asia" at the suggestion of Yerkin Tukumov, KazISS Director, is planned to be made annual in conjunction with the summit of Heads of States. The participants of the event unanimously confirmed the demand for dialogue between the civil societies in Russia and the Central Asian region, especially on the second track.