{"id":987,"date":"2018-03-26T12:33:20","date_gmt":"2018-03-26T11:33:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/research.kent.ac.uk\/upgrade-gcrf-compass\/?page_id=987"},"modified":"2021-07-29T10:50:35","modified_gmt":"2021-07-29T09:50:35","slug":"past-events","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/research.kent.ac.uk\/gcrf-compass\/news\/past-events\/","title":{"rendered":"2019-2020 News"},"content":{"rendered":"

***Save the Date***<\/h3>\n

The Second COMPASS Special Issue Workshop will take place online on 18 June 2020<\/h3>\n

The second COMPASS Special Issue Workshop “Hamsoya -united in shadows: the making of resilient communities in Central Eurasia” will take place on 18 June 2020. Following the first workshop organised on 23-24 April 2020, contributors to the Special Issue will present their elaborated draft articles. The programme of the workshop is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

GCRF Cluster Project pre-launch meeting, 11 May 2020<\/h3>\n

On 11 May 2020<\/b>\u00a0COMPASS had a project pre-launch meeting for the new GCRF Cluster<\/b> project AGRE\u00a0\u2018Fostering Adaptive Governance and Resilience in Local Communities of Central Eurasia: from fragmented pasts to connected futures?\u2019. <\/b>The project is\u00a0led by Durham University (Professor Michael Crang) in partnership with Kent University (Professor Korosteleva and Dr Irina Petrova) and Oxford University (Dr Ariell Ahearn and Dr Troy Stenberg) in the UK, and currently two partners in the region – Belarusian State University (Dr Artsiom Nazaranka) and Innovation & Scientific Research Centre Tashkent (Dr Shakhboz Akhmedov and Dr Akram Umarov). The project aims to connect the partners across the wider region to work co-jointly towards 1) conceptualising and unpacking fragilities and communities\u2019 resilient response; and 2) setting up a wider framework for a new Cluster bid application in 2021. The project is to start on 1 June 2020.<\/p>\n

Guest lecture by A. Morrison ‘An earthquake which took Turkestan from the seventeenth to the twentieth century\u201d: Reassessing the 1916 Central Asian Revolt\u2019, 8 May 2020, Cambridge<\/h3>\n

\"\"Cambridge Central Asia Forum in collaboration with GCRF COMPASS and Centre of Development Studies, University of Cambridge hosted\u00a0a talk by Dr A. Morisson, New College, University of Oxford on ‘An earthquake which took Turkestan from the seventeenth to the twentieth century\u201d: Reassessing the 1916 Central Asian Revolt\u2019 on 8 May 2020. The talk related to the 1916 Revolt which was a key event in the history of Central Asia, and of the Russian Empire in the First World War. This paper explored the deeper origins of discontent with Tsarist colonisation policies, before considering the specific wartime pressures which provoked rebellion in July 1916. It will explore the progress of the revolt from Jizzakh to Semirechie and the northern steppe, its brutal suppression in the dying days of the Tsarist regime, and the patterns of violence emerging from it which continued throughout the revolutionary period. It will conclude with a discussion of how it has been assessed in Soviet and post-Soviet historiography, and the political disputes surrounding its legacy today. The talk was attended by students, researchers and colleagues interested in understanding the tapestry of Central Asian historical events. The discussion touched on the capacity of the Central Asian Turkistan in the early 20th century to be able to put on a united front against Tsarist Russia.<\/p>\n

Democracy on Paper: COVID-19 in East-Central Europe, 29 April 2020<\/h3>\n

On 29 April 2020<\/b> Professor Korosteleva was invited to join a zoom conference titled ‘Democracy on Paper: COVID-19 in East-Central Europe<\/strong>‘ organised by Hamilton Lugar School of Global & International Studies, Indiana University.<\/p>\n

\"\"\u00a0<\/span>The panel discussed political developments in East-Central Europe in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, while claiming to protect their citizens from the disease, the authorities in Poland, Hungary, and Belarus have made a series of controversial decisions, with potentially grave implications for these countries\u2019 futures. <\/span>The \u00a0panelists also included\u00a0<\/span>Jaros\u0142aw Kuisz,\u00a0<\/span>journalist for\u00a0Kultura liberana<\/i>\u00a0in Poland; and\u00a0<\/span>Nick Thorpe<\/span>, BBC correspondent for Hungary and the greater CEE region, moderated by\u00a0<\/span>Peter Kreko<\/span>, journalist and expert on Hungarian politics. More information about the conference is available here<\/a> and on the Indiana University website<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Expert meeting with Kishore Mahbubani, 28 April 2020<\/b><\/h3>\n

\"\"\u00a0<\/b>On 28 April COMPASS PDRA Dr. Irina Petrova joined a zoom expert meeting organised by The Monthly Barometer. The session titled \u2018The pandemic and its impact on the China-US rivalry\u2019 featured Kishore Mahbubani, a Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore, who presented his latest book \u2018Has China won?<\/a>\u2019 published in March 2020. The discussion focused on the contemporary US-China relations, reflecting, in particular, on the impact of COVID-19<\/a> on the bilateral relations and international affairs more broadly, as well asprospects for the balance of power<\/a> in future.<\/p>\n

COMPASS Virtual Workshop, 23-24 April 2020<\/b><\/b><\/h3>\n

\"\"COMPASS virtual workshop titled \u2018The making of resilient communities in Central Eurasia\u2019 took place on 23-24 April 2020. It brought together GCRF COMPASS researchers and members of the Advisory Board to discuss resilience and adaptation strategies of the local communities in Central Eurasia. The programme can be accessed here<\/a>. The follow-up workshop is scheduled for June 2020, more information will be available shortly.<\/p>\n

Expert meeting with HE President Armen Sarkissian, 13 April 2020<\/h3>\n

\"\"\u00a0On 13 April 2020 Professor Korosteleva and Dr Petrova were invited to join a zoom expert meeting with HE President Armen Sarkissian, along with 25 other world experts to discuss the implications of the coronavirus on international politics and the region. President Sarkissian presented his understanding of change, from a quantum physics perspective (available here<\/a>); and invited experts for Q&A. Professor Korosteleva had an opportunity to ask him about complexity as a new reality and the role of local communities in building resilience and managing complexity. The discussion lasted for over an hour which brief summary is available here (enclosed<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Online Forum ‘The Pandemic Disruptor: COVID-19’s implications for East European security’ , 7 April 2020 12:00 – 13:15 Uk time<\/h3>\n

The forum was organised conjointly by\u00a0<\/span>Minsk Dialogue Council on International Relations (Belarus), Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (Germany), Eastern Europe Studies Centre (Lithuania),\u00a0<\/span>Centre for Eurasian and European Studies at the Faculty of International Relations, Belarusian State University (Belarus), and GCRF COMPASS<\/a> Project (UK).<\/span><\/p>\n

The forum discussed the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the security of wider Europe, and possible measures to mitigate them. Professor Korosteleva outlined five specific concerns that may have an impact on the current status quo, including 1) the return of the state; 2) the prospect of economic recession; 3) the return of borders and breakdown of European solidarity; 4) double-edge globalisation effect on developing countries in the region; and 5) the alleged \u2018death of resilience\u2019 requiring more central control. The programme is available<\/a>, and the discussion could be viewed here, on the\u00a0Minsk Dialogue\u2019s You Tube Channel<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Guest lecture by Professor Jan Orbie, 2 April 2020<\/b><\/p>\n

On 2 April 2020 the Director of the Centre for EU Studies at Ghent University, Professor Jan Orbie delivered a guest lecture \u201cThe EU as a development actor: A sort of critical prespective\u201d. He discussed the ongoing debates in the field, problematising the notions of actorness and development and presenting an alternative postdevelopment agenda. The feasablity and potentail models of a revised EU development policy were discussed in the Q&A session.<\/span><\/p>\n

COMPASS Zoom Cafe, 31 March 2020<\/h3>\n

On 31 March 2020,<\/b>\u00a0COMPASS launched its first zoom cafe for all consortium participants, to exchange reflections on the crisis and to discuss ways of how to maintain intellectual and social engagement by means of technology. As a result it has been decided to launch the Crisis Reflection portal<\/a> and to contribute individual reflection pieces on personal experiences of the crisis and its different aspects.<\/p>\n

Guest lecture by Matthieu Burnay, 19 March 2020<\/b><\/h3>\n

On 19 March 2020 Dr Matthieu Burnay, Senior Lecturer in Global Law at the Queen Mary University of London, presented his lecture \u201cChina, the European Union, and the Future of the Liberal International Order\u201d. The talk touched upon the crisis of the liberal international order and the ways China is filling gaps in the existing order. The EU\u2019s position on the emerging order and China\u2019s role in it was analysed, providing a comprehensive picture of the EU-China cooperation and the possiblity of cooperative regional orders.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Roundtable and Navroz celebrations, 9 March 2020, Cambridge – cancelled<\/h3>\n

A roundtable with invited speakers titled ‘Progress and Development in Central Asia and the Caucasus’ will take place at the University of Cambridge on the 9th of March. It will be followed by the annual Navroz celebrations with performances from the Central Asian region.<\/p>\n

Roundtable on Current Developments in Uzbekistan, 26 February 2020, Cambridge<\/h3>\n

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On 26 February 2020<\/strong> the GCRF COMPASS Cambridge team led by Dr Saxena organised a roundtable on current developments in Uzbekistan and its relations with the Eurasian Economic Union. The roundtable included insightful presentations by Mr Odilbek Isakov, Deputy Finance Minister of Uzbekistan and Sanjar Valiev, Deputy Director of the Institute of Strategic & Regional Studies, and panel discussions initiated by Prof. Korosteleva (Kent), Dr Raina (UKRI-GCRF Challenge Lead), Dr Petrova (Kent), Prof. Ray (Jesus College), Dr Fennell (Centre of Development), P. Kalra and Dr Kudaibergenova – the COMPASS members. The roundtable was followed by talks with Dr Neelam Raina and the COMPASS team about the strategic importance of Central Eurasia in the UKRI research and planning. Please see the programme here<\/a><\/p>\n

ADA University Training School, 17-21 February 2020, Baku<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"\"\"ADA University ran its first GCRF COMPASS international Training School for Early Career Researchers. It involved 16 participants from across the region, and the COMPASS consortium, presenting their research, participating in skills training sessions and discovering the country through organised tours to Atashgah and \u00a0Yanardag. The skills workshops focused on how to publish an article in higher-impact journal and requirements for international publishing (by A. Valiyev, ADA); how to raise an international profile & biometrics (by G. Polglase, CCCU UK); how to write a book proposal (by E. Korosteleva, Kent UK); and how to apply for funding (by I. Petrova, Kent UK, and A. Nazaranka, BSU Belarus). The school was a great success, thanks to the enormous effort of the local COMPASS team, led by Nargiz Ismayilova, ADA University.<\/p>\n

Leadership Winter Training School, 11 February 2020, Cambridge<\/h3>\n

\"\" \"\" Professor Korosteleva and Dr Irina Petrova were invited to speak at the \u2018Leadership Programme on Solving Global Challenges\u2019, a GCRF COMPASS Winter Training School, organised by the Cambridge COMPASS team. Co-jointly with Dr Kudaibergenova, they discussed the challenges of defining Eurasia as a construct, and the Eurasian Economic Union as practical example of regional integration and its challenges. More information\u00a0 can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"Thereafter the Winter School members also participated in a roundtable discussion of the Future of European Defence Policy<\/em> involving Ambassadors of Greece, Austria and Croatia, and D. Patrikarakos, the author of War in 140 Characters,<\/em> chaired by the Master of St Edmund\u2019s College, Catherine Arnold OBE, Cambridge University.<\/p>\n

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Guest Lecture by Ignacio Garcia Bercero, 30 January 2020, University of Kent<\/h3>\n

\"\"The COMPASS team at Kent and postgraduate students of the EU in the Global World, welcomed Mr Ignacio Garcia Bercero, Director General, DG Trade of the European Commission as their guest speaker. Mr Bercero, who is currently a fellow-in-residence at Oxford University, has shared his experience of negotiations with partners in the eastern Neighbourhood and Central Asia, and more recently \u2013 with the Eurasian Economic Union. The issues of geopolitics, and strategic priorities of the new Commission, especially towards the Central Eurasian region, were also discussed.<\/p>\n

Pre-Launch UKRI\/GCRF Conflict Intersections Funding Call Event, 28-29 January 2020, <\/strong>Bishkek<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"The COMPASS team represented by scholars from Kent, Cambridge, and regional partner-institutions \u2013 ADA University, BSU, TNU, UWED and ERI from Kazakhstan \u2013 were invited by the GCRF challenge leader, Dr Neeelam Raina<\/a>, and her team, to participate in the pre-launch of the new GCRF Global Partnership Call, to develop new proposals on conflict intersections for Central Asia and wider Eurasian region. The workshop involved about 40 regional scholars, DFID, FCO and GCRF representatives, brainstorming on research issues relevant for the region and developing them into concrete proposals as part of the GCRF UKRI capacity-building initiative.<\/p>\n

GROW Conference, 21 January 2020, University of Kent<\/h3>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

On 21 January, Prof. Korosteleva presented the COMPASS project findings to the GROW conference at Kent University. The conference hosted current grant holders and future applicants, as well as funders\u2019 representatives to discuss opportunities for further growth.<\/p>\n

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COMPASS Workpackage Meeting, 18 – 19 January 2020, Almaty, Kazakhstan<\/h3>\n

\"\"\"\"On 18-19 January, the GCRF COMPASS team gathered at the Eurasian Research Institute in Almaty to discuss findings of the focus groups and plan ahead with nation-wide surveys. The teams also discussed plans for the dissemination of results at international conferences and through joint publications, as well as in the form of policy recommendations to reveal emergent patterns of resilience, identity and self-governance.\u00a0 Special thanks go to Dr Diana Kudaibergenova for leading WP4, and to the local supporters \u2013 Dr Albina Muratbekova (ERI) and Dr Chokan Laumulin (CCAF Cambridge).<\/p>\n

Roundtable on Parliamentary Discussion, 5 December 2019, Jesus College Cambridge<\/h3>\n

\"\"GCRF COMPASS Cambridge in collaboration with Centre of Development Studies and Cambridge Central Asia Forum hosted Senator Safoev and HE Rustamov, Republic of Uzbekistan for a Roundtable on Parliamentary Discussion in Jesus College, University of Cambridge. Prof Parker (Head of Cavendish Labs), Prof Nolan, Dr Lane, Dr Chang (Director, Centre of Dev Studies) and Prof Korosteleva (PI, Uni of Kent) attended the event. Dr Saxena Chaired the Roundtable.<\/p>\n

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Keynote Lecture ‘Resilience: another buzzword or an opportunity for more adaptable (EU) governance?’ 3 December 2019, European Studies Centre, St. Antony’s College Oxford<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"Professor Korosteleva gave a keynote lecture titled \u2018Resilience: another buzzword or an opportunity for more adaptable (EU) governance?\u2019, at the European Studies Centre, St Antony\u2019s College, Oxford University. Her keynote was chaired by Professor Kalypso Nicolaidis, with Dr Heidi Maurer as discussant \u2013 to both of whom Elena records her enormous gratitude.\u00a0 Her talk attracted over 40 students, scholars and practitioners, including from the IMF, EU trade and humanitarian policies divisions.\u00a0Elena focused on unpacking the term \u2018resilience\u2019 to give it a more unifying meaning as \u2018self-governance\u2019, and its application by the EU. The talk was premised on her contribution to the Special Issue<\/strong>: Korosteleva, E. and Flockhart, T. (eds) \u2018The EU and Resilience: redefining the role of \u201cthe local\u201d and \u201cthe person\u201d in a new global governance agenda\u2019, Contemporary Security Policy (in press), <\/em>28 February 2020. More information here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

International symposium ‘ Turning ‘brain drain’ into ‘brain circulation’ 25 – 27 November 2019, Dushanbe, Tajikistan<\/h3>\n

\"\"Tajik National University is hosting an international symposium \u2019Turning \u201cbrain drain\u201d into \u2018brain circulation\u201d in Central Asia\u2019. The symposium is jointly organised by the Faculty of International Relations TNU and Dialogue of Civilisations (DOC) Research Institute, a COMPASS partner, with the support of VW Foundation. Main speakers included DOC senior researchers, regional scholars and Dr Jan-Peter Olters, World Bank Country Manager for Tajikistan. The conference attracted a large number of speakers, and will be followed by published proceedings.<\/p>\n

First EBRD Eastern Partnership Investment Summit, 22 November 2019, London<\/h3>\n

\"\"Professor Korosteleva was invited to attend the first EBRD Eastern Partnership Investment Summit\u00a0<\/a>organised in London to mark the 10-year anniversary of the Eastern Partnership Initiative in the neighbourhood, and discuss further cooperation and investment in the region. The participants were welcomed by Sir Suma Chakrabarti, EBRD President, and EU Commissioner Johannes Hahn, followed by a plenary panel of Heads of State and Prime Ministers from the region presenting their visions for future development. Notably, the panel included the President of Armenia HE Armen Sarkissian; Prime Minister of Azerbaijan HE Ali Asadov; Prime Minister of Belarus HE Sergei Roumas; Prime Minister of Moldova HE Ion Chicu; Prime Minister of Ukraine HE Oleksiy Honcharuk, and Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia HE Maya Tskitishvili, and was moderated by the EBRD chief economist – Beata Javorcik. The focus was on continuing reforms against corruption to ensure political and economic stability, and citizens\u2019 greater involvement in the governance of the region.<\/p>\n

Meeting with AIG Senior Partners, 18 November 2019, London<\/h3>\n

Following the AIG\/Chatham House event in October in Vienna where Professor Korosteleva presented the COMPASS project and its research, she was subsequently invited by the AIG senior partners to a meeting in London to discuss prospects for developing synergies between the AIG and the COMPASS project over the Central Eurasian region. The region is generating a lot of attention owing to its unique position and under-studied potential, as well as the EU and China\u2019s interest and ongoing investment in the region.<\/p>\n

SEnECA <\/strong>Final Conference \u2018What Future for EU-Central Asia Relations?\u2019, 14 \u2013 15 November 2019, Brussels, Belgium<\/strong><\/h3>\n

On 14-15 November 2019, Irina Petrova (Kent) represented the GCRF COMPASS team at the final conference of the H2020 Consortium \u2018Strengthening and Energizing EU Central Asia Relations\u2019 (SEnECA). Beside SEnECA members and external researchers, the conference featured H. E. Peter Burian, EU Special Representative for Central Asia, EEAS; H. E. Romana Vlahutin, Ambassador at large for connectivity, EEAS; Angela Atzori, International Aid &Cooperation Officer\u2013Cultural Sector, DG DEVCO, as well as H.E. Dr Erkinkhon Rahmatullozoda, Ambassador of Tajikistan to the Kingdom of Belgium and H. E. Aigul Kuspan, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Belgium. SEnECA policy recommendations<\/a> for strengthening the EU-Central Asia relations were discussed over two days with a particular focus on connectivity, culture and communication. The programme of the conference can be found here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Institutional Change and Social Practice. Research on Political Systems, Economy and Society in Central Asia and the Caucasus, 12 – 14 November, Frankfurt, Germany<\/h3>\n

Professor Korosteleva was invited to participate at the conference titled \u2018Institutional Change and Social Practice. Research on Political Systems, Economy and Society in Central Asia and the Caucasus<\/em>\u2019, and be part of the evaluation panel organised by the Volkswagen Foundation, in Frankfurt. The conference attracted scholars from the Bielefeld, TU Dortmund, Giessen and Halle-Wittenberg Universities in Germany, PRIO in Norway, Vienna, Ghent and Cambridge Universities, and involved early career researchers from the region, presenting their post-doctoral projects for the VW fellowships. Professor Korosteleva discussed opportunities for developing cooperation under the GCRF project with the VW staff.<\/p>\n

International Signature Conference: Uzbekistan in the Context of Regional Security and Global Change, 7 – 8 November 2019, Tashkent, Uzbekistan<\/h3>\n

\"\"Under the aegis of the GCRF COMPASS project, UWED organised its first international signature <\/em>conference titled \u2018Uzbekistan in the context of Regional Security and Global Change\u2019. The conference gathered over 40 international and regional participants, including scholars from the UK (Kent, Cambridge, St Andrews, Oxford, and Newcastle Universities), COMPASS partner-institutions (ADA University, BSU, TNU and UWED), EU, US, China, Afghanistan, and Russia. It also attracted interest from the Uzbek government, UK and EU Embassies, the House of Lords (UK) and many local independent researchers and think-tanks. The conference focused on the ongoing reforms in the country, Uzbekistan\u2019s role in the region, as well as its relations with the UK, European Union, Russia, US and China.<\/p>\n

Final programme.<\/a> Conference website<\/a>. Conference proceedings<\/a><\/p>\n

Open Lectures at UWED, 5 November 2019, Tashkent, Uzbekistan<\/h3>\n

Senior Members of the COMPASS Consortium gave open lectures to the UWED students: Professor Victor Shadurski, Dean of the Faculty of International Relations, Belarusian State University, spoke about the success and challenges for the Eurasian Economic Union<\/a>, and Professor Elena Korosteleva, Principal Investigator of the GCRF COMPASS project and Director of the Global Europe Centre, discussed the challenges of the EU Global Security Strategy and the shift to resilience-thinking [please see here<\/a>].<\/p>\n

Eastern Partnership (EaP) Reflection Forum, 21 – 23 October 2019,\u00a0<\/strong>Chisinau,Moldova<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"GCRF COMPASS Postdoctoral Associate Irina Petrova attended the EaP Reflection Forum \u2018The Eastern Partnership in the next ten years \u2013 What Strategy for the European Union\u2019s Eastern neighbourhood?\u2019. Organised by the Institute for European Policies and Reforms (IPRE) in cooperation with a number of European think tanks, the Forum aimed to facilitate the dialogue among policy-making, expert and academic communities of the EU and EaP states. The Forum reflected on the progress of the Eastern Partnership policy and outlined policy recommendations for the EU and Moldova. Further information about the event is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Roundtable on OSCE & Europe’s Strategy in Central Asia and the Caucasus, 18 October 2019, University of Cambridge<\/h3>\n

GCRF COMPASS Cambridge at Centre of Development Studies, University of Cambridge and Cambridge Central Asia Forum, Jesus College organised a policy oriented roundtable discussion on OSCE and Europe\u2019s strategy of engagement with Central Asia, Afghanistan, the Caucasus and Eurasia to mark Slovakia\u2019s Chairmanship of the OSCE this year. This event is organised in partnership with H.E. Mr. \u013dubom\u00edr Reh\u00e1k, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Slovak Republic. Mr Marek Varga, Head of Politico\u2013Military Dimension and Conflicts Unit, Department of Political and Security Affairs, Directorate General for the Slovak OSCE Chairmanship. Ambassadors of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and other Central Asian countries, along with First Consul of Embassy of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the UK attended the event. The draft programme is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

20th Annual Conference of the Central Eurasian Studies Society, 10 – 13 October 2019, <\/strong>Washington D.C.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"Dr Ulugbek Khasanov and Dr Akram Umarov (both UWED) and Dr Nargis Nurulla-Khodzaeva (TNU) represented the GCRF COMPASS project at the 20th<\/sup> annual CESS conference organised by the Central Asia Program of the George Washington University\u2019s Institute for European, Russian and Eurasian Studies. The event brought together leading scholars and researchers from different disciplines united by their interest in Central Asia’s past, present and future.<\/p>\n

\"\"Through panel discussions, roundtable talks, debates, and academic presentations, the participants explored pressing topics of Central Asia in anthropology, cultural studies, art history, fine art, economics, education, energy and environment, gender studies, history, language and linguistics, law, literature, media, migration, political science and international relations, regional studies, religion and sociology. Dr Khasanov presented his paper coauthored with Dr Mason Jacobs from Michigan State University on \u201cFergana \u201criots\u201d (1989)\u201d within the special panel devoted to the book in progress on the topic of \u201cCollapse and re-birth: a living archive on the end of the USSR and afterward\u201d. Dr Umarov chaired the panel on \u201cRegional cooperation: local framework and broader context\u201d with papers of researchers from Land Berlin (Germany), Seoul National University (Republic of Korea), Princeton University (the USA) and Nankai University (China).<\/p>\n

\"\"Dr Khasanov chaired the panel \u201cChallenges and opportunities of finding regionalism in Eurasia\u201d. This panel discussed papers by Dr Nurulla-Khodzaeva, Dr Umarov\u00a0 and Dr Ruben Elamiryan (Russian-Armenian University). Dr Umarov presented his paper on the impact of Donald Trump\u2019s policy on the process of the BRI\u2019s implementation in Central Asia. He argued that the new character of the American foreign policy under the leadership of Donald Trump has also had an impact on Central Asia. Even though the US president practically did not mention the region in his election campaign, his recent decisions might have had a direct impact on the development of events in Central Asia. The resulting \u201cvacuum of influence\u201d in the APR might lead to an even greater presence of China in the region and a decrease in attention to the development of the BRI project, in which Central Asia could play one of the definitive roles.<\/p>\n

This trip would be impossible without support of the GCRF COMPASS project.<\/p>\n

Belt & Road 2.0 AIG Multinational Conference 2019, 10 October 2019, Vienna, Austria<\/strong><\/h3>\n

\"\"\"\"Professor Korosteleva was invited to speak at t<\/span>he \u2018<\/span>Belt & Road 2.0\u2019<\/a>\u00a0AIG multinational conference 2019 in Vienna on 10 October 2019. The conference was organised in partnership with Chatham House and Roland Berger, having attracted over 100 attendees and speakers from the AIG, Baker McKenzie,\u00a0Asian Development Bank, Deutsche Bank, ICBC Standard Bank China, UK Investment Office UBS Wealth Managements and more. The focus was on the relaunch of the BRI 2.0 and its challenges, including the \u2018people-to-people\u2019 dimension, discussed at the final panel of the\u00a0conference.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Professor Korosteleva offered her insights on this important topic, with reference to the COMPASS project\u2019s findings and conceptual\u00a0thinking about\u00a0\u2018resilience\u2019 and local ownership. The panel\u00a0speakers\u00a0also included Chinara Esengul, Head of Central Asia Programme, Peace\u00a0Nexus Foundation, and Bernardo Mariani, Head of China Programme, Saferworld, moderated by Dr Champa Patel, Head of Asia-Pacific Programme, Chatham House, London.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Minsk Dialogue Policy Forum: European Security: Stepping back from the Brink, 7 – 9 October 2019, Minsk, Belarus<\/h3>\n

\"\"\"\"7 – 8 October 2019 saw the 2nd<\/sup> year of the Minsk Dialogue Policy Forum<\/strong>, which was organised in partnership with the COMPASS project. It attracted over 700 academics, policy-makers and practitioners from 61 countries. This year it focused on \u201cEuropean Security: Stepping back from the Brink\u201d, covering relations with major powers, the role of international organisations, regional conflicts development across Central Eurasia, and relations between competing initiatives from the EU, EAEU and BRI. COMPASS hosted two plenaries, including with Lord Teverson\u2019s participation, one special panel on Central Asia, and concluding reception on Day 2 of the forum. Day 2 of the forum included a presidential plenary, with President Lukashenko, Baroness Ashton, and Mr Vershbov among others. The new feature of the forum was the Future Leaders Session<\/strong>, which brought together 16 young participants from the COMPASS consortium (Kent, Cambridge, BSU, ADA University, TNU and UWED) and European Leadership Network. They presented a joint Declaration at the opening of the Forum, describing major challenges for the regional security and their possible solutions. The session received feedback from the UK, EU and Russian Ambassadors \u2013 Their Excellences Jaqueline Perkins, Dirk Schuebel, and Dmitry Mezentsev \u2013 and Valery Varanetsky, MP Belarus. The Declaration will be included in the MD forum policy paper, to be disseminated to all major UK, EU and national stakeholders of the forum. A more detailed account can be found here<\/a> and on these websites:<\/p>\n

Minsk Dialogue Forum 2019 Day 1<\/a><\/p>\n

Minsk Dialogue Forum 2019 Day 2<\/a><\/p>\n

International Conference: Cultural Diplomacy in Central Asia and Eurasia. 16 – 17 September 2019, Dushanbe, Tajikistan<\/h3>\n

\"\"On 16-17 September 2019 the Tajik National University (TNU) held its first landmark event as part of the COMPASS project \u2013 a two-day international conference with a focus on Tajikistan and the role of cultural diplomacy in the regional revival. With reference to the Tajik National Development Strategy 2030, discussion addressed the issues of local vulnerabilities, including environment and trade\/economic concerns, resilience-building and the role of cultural heritage for sustainable development. Apart from the TNU staff, NGO and government representatives, participants also included international scholars from the Universities of Kent, Cambridge and Oxford (UK); ADA University (Azerbaijan), BSU (Belarus), and UWED (Uzbekistan). The conference also hosted a keynote speech on the EU New Strategy to Central Asia from the EU Special Envoy, Ambassador Burian, and HE Marilyn Josefson, Head of EU Delegation to Tajikistan; intervention by Peter Fernandes Cardy, Head of regional DFID, and a plenary session with HM Ambassador Matthew Lawson and Lord Sheikh (UK), which attracted over 70-wide audience, half of which were students from local universities. We record special thanks to the local organisers of the conference \u2013 TNU national lead Professor Munira Shahidi, and her team, including the volunteers from the charity organisation \u2018Peshraft\u2019 led by Matlyuba Salikhova, as well as COMPASS postdoc assistants – Diana T. Kudaibergenova, Irina Petrova and Eske van Gils. Final programme<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

***Save the Date*** The Second COMPASS Special Issue Workshop will take place online on 18 June 2020 The second COMPASS Special Issue Workshop “Hamsoya -united in shadows: the making of resilient communities in Central Eurasia” will take place on 18 June 2020. Following the first workshop organised on 23-24 April 2020, contributors to the Special […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":336,"featured_media":0,"parent":46,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-987","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.kent.ac.uk\/gcrf-compass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/987","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.kent.ac.uk\/gcrf-compass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.kent.ac.uk\/gcrf-compass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.kent.ac.uk\/gcrf-compass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/336"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.kent.ac.uk\/gcrf-compass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=987"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/research.kent.ac.uk\/gcrf-compass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/987\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8655,"href":"https:\/\/research.kent.ac.uk\/gcrf-compass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/987\/revisions\/8655"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/research.kent.ac.uk\/gcrf-compass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/46"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/research.kent.ac.uk\/gcrf-compass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=987"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}