On October 30, 2017, the Institute for Advanced International Studies under UWED and the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) of the Russian Academy of Sciences and jointly hosted a roundtable discussion for scholars to analyze the current sociopolitical and economic challenges facing Afghanistan.

During the roundtable, participants engaged in nuanced discussions examining various dimensions of Afghanistan's contemporary circumstances and trajectory for development. Speakers expressed grave concern regarding Afghanistan's precarious security situation while underscoring the critical need for ongoing monitoring and analysis to promote lasting peace, stability, and progress in the region.

Overall, the Afghanistan-focused roundtable marks a significant step toward deepening academic understanding of this complex nation in crisis. The dialogues and perspectives shared lay essential groundwork for developing thoughtful, evidence-based policy recommendations and solutions to advance security and sustainable growth in Afghanistan and surrounding countries.

On October 11-12, 2023, the Institute for Advanced International Studies organized a roundtable discussion on "Current Challenges and Future Prospects of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO)" joint with the Institute of Foreign Policy Studies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan. 

The expert discussions focused on enhancing stability and security within the SCO region, prospects for SCO cooperation with other regional organizations, economic development, transportation and energy, ecology, and digital technologies. Special attention was given to the prospects of Kazakhstan's chairmanship in the SCO for 2023-2024.

During the discussions, participants highlighted the fact that the SCO has entered its third decade of existence against the backdrop of complex global processes characterized by a fundamental transformation of the entire international relations system and global economy and trade, accompanied by an overall increase in instability.

Analyzing the future prospects of the SCO, Uzbek and Kazakh experts reached a consensus that in the process of global development, significant importance will be attributed to those structures that have managed to maintain their non-bloc status in the current era of global change, and whose international relations are built not on the principle of "against anyone" but on the basis of constructive mutually beneficial cooperation.

The roundtable discussion served as a platform for valuable insights and fruitful exchanges of ideas among experts, fostering a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by the SCO. The outcomes of this event will contribute to enhancing regional cooperation and shaping the future trajectory of the organization.

On July 12, 2023, we were delighted to meet with Ms. Lin Goethals, Director at the European Institute for Asian Studies.

We can't stress enough how insightful this meeting was for both parties. For the most part, we talked about EU policy in Central Asia and how "it has been trinckling down and become invisible".

Ms.Goethals shared that demography of Central Asia is a new generation that is standing up with a very different point of view, where this young segment population presents so many opportunities.

Participants agreed on the need for Central Asian region to work together internally, finding more effective entry points that can open up other doors for wider dialogue.

The meeting was conducted by the head of the Center for European Studies Rustam Kayumov, IAIS Research Fellows Alouddin Komilov and Abboskhon Bobokhonov and Communications and Partnership Manager Shokhinakhon Bakhromova.

                                  

July 10, 2023 a meeting was held with the director of the Ankara Center for Crisis and Political Studies (ANKASAM) Mehmed Erol, who arrived in Uzbekistan as an observer for the presidential elections.

There was a productive exchange of views on current political processes at the regional and global levels, as well as discussion of issues of establishing cooperation between this center and IAIS in the development and implementation of joint research projects and programs.

M. Erol informed that ANKASAM is an analytical center in Ankara, established in 2017. as an independent legal entity of the International Association for Friendship, Cooperation and Strategic Studies (UDİSAD). Among its founders are leading scientists, experts, media representatives and intellectuals of Turkey.

According to the Turkish expert, the authority and influence of think tanks on government decision-making is growing in the world, and they are an excellent platform for solving problems and political crises.

The meeting was attended by IAIS director Sherzod Abdullayev and head of the Center for European Studies Rustam Kayumov.

 

July 10, 2023 a meeting was held with the Secretary General of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Policy, Ambassador I. Al-Sayed, who arrived in Uzbekistan as an observer for the presidential elections.

We discussed the issues of establishing cooperation between this Council and IAIS in the development and implementation of joint research projects and programs, including publications.

Mr. I. Al-Sayedom said that the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, established in 1999, is a non-governmental organization and one of the leading Egyptian civil society organizations in the field of foreign policy. The staff of the Council are experts in the field of regional and international foreign policy, including prominent diplomats, scientists, military, businessmen, writers and public figures of Egypt.

As a result of the meeting, it was decided to prepare a memorandum of cooperation, including practical proposals on all the issues discussed.

The meeting was attended by IAIS Director Sherzod Abdullayev and Head of the Center for European Studies Rustam Kayumov, UWED - Head of the Center for Language Education Lutfulla Khodjaev.

July 8, 2023 a meeting was held with the Director of Research of the Institute for Russian and Eurasian Studies of Uppsala University, Professor Mark Bassin, who arrived in Uzbekistan as an observer for the presidential elections.

We discussed a number of issues on establishing an academic partnership of this Institute with the UWED and the Institute for Advanced International Studies (IAIS), including the development and implementation of international research projects and holding joint international events.

The meeting was attended by UWED - Vice-Rector Gulnoza Ismailova and Dean of the Faculty of International Law Umid Yakubkhodjaev, IAIS - Deputy Director Akram Umarov, Head of the Center for European Studies Rustam Kayumov, researcher Abboskhon Bobokhonov and communications and partnerships manager Shokhinakhon Bakhromova.

On July 08, 2023, the UWED administration and IAIS team hosted a meeting with the President of the Foreign Policy Institute Prof.Dr.Hüseyin Bagci. 

Dr.Hüseyin Bagci both shared his concern and hope on the next generation of diplomats who can take over international relations, hence it is of crucial importance that Uzbekistan dedicates resources and builds up a competitive capacity.

Participants pointed out an opportunity of a joint publication with the IAIS on Afghanistan, being cognizant of the increasing role of  the Turkish republic within this issue. It was highlighted that academia as a tool is expedient for Uzbekistan in meeting all the possible challenges and opportunities any kind of uncertainty can bring. 

On July 8, 2023, IAIS team had a meeting with Professor Dr. Jorge Mestre Jorda from the European University of Valencia. Both parties agreed to be more proactive in contributing to each others’ capacities and creating real projects on the ground. We were impressed by the projects and opportunities within international negotiations and conflict resolution dimensions that Dr. Jorge Mestre Jorda shared with us. 

The meeting was conducted by the deputy director of Institute for Advanced International Studies Dr. Akram Umarov, Research Fellows of this institute, Hamza Boltaev and Alouddin Kamilov, communications and partnerships manager Shokhinakhon Bakhromova.

On July 8, 2023, met with Senior Director of Eurasian Security & Prosperity Portfolio of the New Lines Institute for Strategy&Policy, Dr. Kamran Bokhari. We took this opportunity to present the IAIS work and capacity. Participants discussed Central Asian dynamics given its geopolitical environment, including the Afghan factor. 

The meeting was attended by the deputy director of Institute for Advanced International Studies Dr. Akram Umarov, Research Fellows of this institute, Hamza Boltaev and Alouddin Kamilov. 

On July 8, 2023, meeting with Omid Rahimi, Fellow of the Central Asia Department of Institute for East Strategic Studies was as much insightful as promising. We focused on Central Asia and South Asia connectivity, challenges that has to be identified first. On top of everything, economic relations between Iran and Uzbekistan were given much thought at the table, as  there are huge opportunities laying dormant. 

The meeting was conducted by the deputy director of Institute for Advanced International Studies Dr. Akram Umarov, Senior Research Fellow of this institute, Hamza Boltaev and Communications and Partnerships manager, Shokhinakhon Bakhromova.

The Institute for Advanced International Studies (IAIS) at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy (UWED) held the International Conference on "Central Asia in a Changing World" on July 7, 2023.

The event was attended by the heads of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, representatives of the country's leading analytical and research centers, national media, foreign experts and scientists, international observers participating in the Presidential elections on July 9, 2023, UWED faculty and doctoral students.

During the international conference, presentations were made by IAIS researchers, as well as the Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Foreign Policy Studies of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan, Ambassador B. Nurgaliev (Kazakhstan), Director of the Institute for Global Sustainable Development at the University of Warwick E. Korosteleva (Great Britain), President of the Institute for Global Studies, Ambassador A. Sajanhar (India), Professor of the University of Glasgow Luca Ancheski (Great Britain), Senior Analyst of the Berlin International Policy Institute A. Rahr (Germany) and Roy Anthony Rogers, Deputy Director of Asia Europe Institute (AEI) (Malaysia).

The speakers put an emphasis on the fundamentally new conditions, where Uzbekistan is cognizant of the need to rethink its foreign policy philosophy, strategic responsibility for the consistent implementation of confident and active diplomacy based on solid principles. For Uzbekistan, this primarily means a serious adaptation to the new realities of international politics, taking into account the unfolding global crisis and turbulence, a change in the paradigm of international development. The strategic turn of Uzbek diplomacy to the East and South, which has been outlined in recent years, is fully consistent with the changing world realities and the national interests of the country. Without questioning the importance of continuing to build up an active regional Central Asian policy, deepening interaction with traditional partners in the CIS space and leading industrial countries, at the same time, it is time to develop a new vision for positioning Uzbekistan in the system of international relations.

The conference participants expressed the opinion that the most integral vector of Uzbekistan's foreign policy remains in Central Asia. At the same time, it is not only about consolidating the positive changes achieved in the region but also about responding to the risks arising from the growing global uncertainty. While in previous years the main focus was on restoring the relations of the Central Asian countries, from now on stability and security will become a key area. This will set the following two tasks for the foreign policy of Uzbekistan: 1) minimizing the risks of instability and destabilization at the regional and macro-regional level; 2)parallel capitalization of stability against the backdrop of instability in other regions.

Workshop on the topic “Water after issues between Central Asia and Afghanistan: Evolution and contemporary challenges”

On June 26, 2023, The Institute for Advanced International Studies organized a workshop on the topic of “Water after issues between Central Asia and Afghanistan: Evolution and contemporary challenges”.

The workshop was was mainly dedicated to the discussion of Qoshtepa canal that the Taliban government is attempting to construct on the north of Afghanistan.

Leading experts on the water issues participated at the event and discussed the topic within two approaches: conflict and cooperation driven. The latter was counted as the most constructive one despite the absence of any state policy in Afghanistan and growing demand and water consumption.

It's worth noticing that 'intangible' factors such as cultural and perceptional matters were listed among key moments in dealing with water related issues and not only.

Participants shared the importance of long term planning and intersectoral approach, including gender mainstreaming.