Asian Powers, Central Asia and the New Silk Road: Views from Inside and Outside

On the Faculty of International Relations held an international seminar on «Asian Powers, Central Asia and the New Silk Road: Views from Inside and Outside» organized in cooperation with the Eurasian Studies Program of the Tsukuba University and Tokyo University of Foreign Studies (TUFS). With an aim to share academic ideas and defining perspective of further cooperation the Faculty of International Relations welcomed a large delegation of the Japanese representatives on behalf of prof. Hisao Komatsu, prof.Timur Dadabayev, Prof. Shioya Akifumi, Prof. Masao Chisako and six PhD students and Researchers.

At the opening speech, Deputy Dean Duman Zhekenov and Prof. Mara Gubaidullina noted that academic programs between conisdred universities are successfully being implemented for more than 10 years. The Faculty has initiated a signing of agreements with these Japanese universities, on the basis of which today all the academic exchange programs between Bachelor and Master Students are held. Prof. Hisao Komatsu has expressed his sincere gratitude to the Faculty of International Relations and to Prof. Mara Gubaidullina for their support of the TUFS’s students during their stay at the KazNU.

Featuring point of this workshop was participation of representatives of the countries, Japan (Timur Dadabayev), Kazakhstan, China (Lyu Qi), Italy (Morena Scalamera), in each session, presenting their political, economic, energetic views of the Chinese initiative “One Road – One Belt”.

Specific issues and problems became the topics of presentation in connection with the Kazakhstani project ‘Nurly Zhol” of the following professors Kuralay Baizakova, Mara Gubaidullina, Galya Movkebayeva (KazNU). Chinese “soft power” became a topic of discussion that was raised by Adil Kaukenov (China Center) and Daniyar Kosnazarov. (Narxoz University). A comparative analysis of external powers inside the Central Asian region was presented by the Tsukuba University students from Turkey, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. 

It is vital to note that the following event has a positive effect on the Faculty’s students.