Azerbaijan has recently embarked on a series of reforms to modernize the country’s economic and social policies. In foreign relations, Azerbaijan is in the final stages of negotiating an enhanced cooperation agreement with the European Union, and continues to work toward the realization of the Southern Gas Corridor. Increased diplomatic activity has intensified expectations surrounding the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, while U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton's visit to the South Caucasus in October also suggests growing U.S. engagement. The American Foreign Policy Council's Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and the Center for Strategic & International Studies held a discussion with three senior Azerbaijani parliamentarians, who provided an update on developments in Azerbaijan and the region.
Speakers:
Mr. Samad Seyidov – Chairman of the Committee on Foreign and Interparliamentary Relations of Parliament, Head of Azerbaijan-USA working group on interparliamentary relations
Ms. Sahiba Gafarova – Member of the Committee on Foreign and Interparliamentary Relations of Parliament
Mr. Asim Mollazada – Member of the Committee on Foreign and Interparliamentary Relations of Parliament
Introduction: Svante Cornell, Director, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute
Moderator: Jeff Mankoff, Deputy Director, Russia & Eurasia Program, CSIS
Where: Center for Strategic and Intenational Studies: 1616 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Concourse Level, Washington, DC 20036
When: Friday, March 29, 2019 from 12:00 - 1:30 pm
The Uyghurs of Xinjiang constitute one of the oldest Turkic peoples and the first to be urbanized and to develop a written language and rich intellectual life. As such they are, in a historic and cultural sense, part of Central Asia. The forum discussed how the ongoing crisis in Xinjiang affected Uyghurs, the Central Asian countries, and how Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan responded?
Speakers:
Sean R. Roberts, Associate Professor, George Washington University
James Clad, Director, Asian Security Program, American Foreign Policy Council
Ilshat Hassan, President, Uyghur American Association
Moderator: S. Frederick Starr, Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute at AFPC
Where: Middle East Institute: 1319 18th Street NW, 20036
When: Tuesday, March 26, 2019 from 12:00 - 2:00 pm,
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A wave of positive changes has emerged in Central Asia in recent years, most vividly demonstrated in growing regional cooperation among Central Asian states. The region’s commitment to transformation and modernization is attracting regional and global attention. Infrastructure development on both Eastern and Western shores of the Caspian, as well as positive trends in the settlement of the status of Caspian Sea, are opening greater opportunities for broader regional trade and economic integration of the region. Our speakers will discuss these newly emerging trends and opportunities.
Speakers:
George Krol, Former US Ambassador to Belarus, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan
Michele Ruta, Lead Economist, Macroeconomics, Trade and Investment Global Practice, World Bank
Moderator: S. Frederick Starr, Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute at the American Foreign Policy Council
Where: American Foreign Policy Council, 509 C Street NE, Washington, DC 20002
When: Wednesday, February 27, 2019 from 12:30 - 2:00 pm,
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The growth momentum in the Caucasus and Central Asia (CCA) is expected to stabilize in 2018 and the medium term. Still, it will take almost two decades to raise CCA living standards to the current levels of their peers. What does it take for countries in the region to move to a private-sector-led growth model? How can they build buffers, address weaknesses in the financial sector, and tackle high public debt? And how can growth be made more inclusive—so that it benefits all through job creation, higher incomes, and more opportunities?
Speaker: Juha Kähkönen, Deputy Director, Middle East and Central Asia Department, IMF
Moderator: S. Frederick Starr, Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute at the American Foreign Policy Council
Where: American Foreign Policy Council: 509 C Street NE, Washington, DC 20002
When: Friday, December 14, 2018 from 12:30 - 2:00 pm,
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