As part of the final stage of their working visit to France, the Netherlands, and Belgium, Odil Gafarov and Mushtariy Usmonova held a series of meetings in Brussels with leading analytical and expert institutions to discuss practical formats for research cooperation and sustained expert dialogue.

In particular, consultations were conducted with Axel Goethals, CEO of the European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS), EIAS Director Lin Goethals, and the Institute’s research team. The exchange focused on the evolving internal dynamics of the European Union, the growing importance of evidence-based policy discussion, and the prospects for more structured cooperation with Central Asian partners. Attention was also given to regional connectivity and the practical constraints that still limit the effectiveness of cross-regional transport and logistics linkages, including both infrastructure gaps and regulatory–procedural coordination.

A meeting was held with Lucile Bardin, Programme Manager at CMI – Martti Ahtisaari Peace Foundation. The discussion provided a detailed overview of CMI’s mandate and its practice-oriented approach to facilitating dialogue and supporting mediation-related processes, alongside potential areas for cooperation that prioritise confidence-building, expert networking, and the development of dialogue formats bringing together officials, specialists, and wider stakeholder communities.

The Brussels programme included a meeting with the Egmont Royal Institute for International Relations – Sven Biscop, Director of the “Europe in the World” programme, and Reinhold Brender, Senior Research Fellow. The parties exchanged views on how the EU’s external engagement frameworks are evolving and explored potential themes for short joint events and expert sessions focused on regional dimensions of EU foreign policy, security-related agendas, and pragmatic cooperation tracks with Central Asia.

Following this visit, the IAIS plans to maintain working-level contacts with Europe-based partners, identify priority topics for joint expert engagement, and explore feasible formats for collaborative initiatives, particularly those aligned with practical research outputs and dialogue-oriented cooperation.