ENC TEAM

ENC In-Depth Podcast: Academic e-collaborations in Central Asia during COVID-19

This ENC In-Depth podcast is dedicated to the recently published ENC Analysis* on the challenges and opportunities for academic collaborations in Central Asia during COVID-19.

In this episode, Andreas Marazis was joined by the two co-authors of the article, Chiara Pierobon, and Aijan Sharshenova, to discuss, among other topics, the new forms of online academic collaborations that have emerged in Central Asia during the Covid-19 pandemic, the benefits of building and strengthening virtual networks, and what will be needed to make online collaborations better in the future.

The discussion was moderated by Andreas Marazis, ENC Head of Research for Eastern Europe & Central Asia, and features the comments and insights of Chiara Pierobon, DAAD Visiting Professor at the University of Washington, and Aijan Sharshenova, Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the OSCE Academy.

You can listen the in-depth interview here:

*This working paper was produced within the Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme “Institutional Change and Social Practice. Research on the Political System, the Economy and Society in Central Asia and the Caucasus” (2020-2023) funded by the Volkswagen Foundation and was first published in “Shaping Asia”.

ENC In-Depth Podcast: Understanding the “Sanarip Insan” (Digital Citizen) EU-funded Project

This ENC in-depth podcast is dedicated to “Promoting Equal Economic Opportunities and Resilience of Youth” in the Kyrgyz Republic – Sanarip Insan (Digital Citizen), a project that is implemented by the European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) in collaboration with the Public Association “Internet Society Kyrgyzstan Chapter” (ISOC) with the financial support of the EU Delegation in the Kyrgyz Republic. The aim of the project is to provide knowledge of the work of the digital and green economy to young people and women living in rural regions of the Kyrgyz Republic.

In this in-depth discussion, Andreas Marazis, ENC Head of Research for Eastern Europe & Central Asia, and Talant Sultanov, co-founder of the Internet Society-Kyrgyz Chapter, talked about, among other topics, youth employment in rural Kyrgyzstan, the implementation phase of the project, the level of engagement, and the impact of the project activities on the target groups. Mr. Sultanov also added that new partnerships are being set up with universities, women’s organizations, and digital tourism professionals to reach out to more people in the rural areas of the Kyrgyz Republic.

The discussion was moderated by Andreas Marazis, ENC Head of Research for Eastern Europe & Central Asia, and features the comments and insights of Talant Sultanov, co-founder of the ISOC.

You can listen the in-depth interview here:

ENC In-Depth Podcast

Assessment on EU-Turkiye Economic Relations

This ENC in-depth discussion looks into the issues surrounding EU-Turkiye economic relations and Customs Union reform, as well as Turkiye’s role in the EU’s supply chain, particularly for German, French, Italian, and Benelux industries and companies.

The Presidents of the French, Italian, German, Dutch, and Benelux Chambers of Commerce in Turkiye visited Brussels to meet with officials and parliamentarians from different EU institutions. They came to present their new assessment on EU-Turkiye economic relations due to changing international markets while presenting the views of thousands of European companies that are currently operating in Turkiye and that provide an indispensable part of the EU’s supply chain. In this podcast, Franck Mereyde, the President of the French Chamber of Commerce in Istanbul, and Livio Manzini, the President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Istanbul, discussed the importance of Turkiye as a reliable economic partner at a time in which protectionist laws and COVID-19 have re-located the European supply chain away from China and into South Eastern Europe.

The discussion was moderated by Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, ENC Managing Director, and features the comments and insights of Franck Mereyde, the President of the French Chamber of Commerce in Istanbul and the Chairman of the Executive Board of TAV airports and a member of Groupe Aeroports de Paris and Livio Manzini, the President of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Istanbul, CEO of Bell Holding and Vice President of the Institut du Bosphore.

You can listen the in-depth interview here:

ENC In-Depth Podcast

Music, Underground Art & the Realpolitik Dilemma

This ENC In-Depth podcast is dedicated to the recently published ENC Analysis: “Music, Underground Art, and the “Realpolitik” Dilemma: A Vision of the Future?” by our Academic Council Member Dr. Leila Alieva, a Richard von Weizsacker Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy and an affiliate of Russian and East European Studies, Oxford University School of Global and Area Studies.

In her article, Dr. Alieva applies the metaphor of music and underground art to explain the challenges and contradictions of the current Western foreign policies while representing a model of world affairs, where not only big powers but also smaller states and most importantly their societies are co-creators of their future.

The discussion was moderated by Andreas Marazis, ENC Head of Research for Eastern Europe & Central Asia, and features the comments and insights of Dr. Leila Alieva.

You can listen the in-depth interview here:

ENC In-Depth Podcast

Managing Regional and Global Order after Ukraine: between Ideals and Reality 

This ENC In-Depth podcast is dedicated to the recently published ENC Analysis: “Managing Regional and Global Order after Ukraine: between Ideals and Reality” by our Academic Council Member Dr. Kevork Oskanian, lecturer at the University of Exeter and Honorary Research Fellow at the University of Birmingham.

In his article, Dr. Oskanian examines the future of the European regional and global order in light of the ongoing Ukraine war while shedding light on key internal and external dilemmas that might lead to cracks within NATO and the EU.

The discussion was moderated by Andreas Marazis, ENC Head of Research for Eastern Europe & Central Asia, and features the comments and insights of Dr. Kevork Oskanian.

You can listen the in-depth interview here:

ENC In-Depth Podcast

How Kazakh Youth Perceive the European Union?

This ENC In-Depth podcast is dedicated to the recently published ENC Analysis: “Admiration despite Invisibility? How Kazakh Youth Perceive the European Union” by our Academic Council Member Dr. Zhanibek Arynov, a postdoctoral researcher at the Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan.

In his article, Dr. Zhanibek Arynov emphasizes the role of youth in European Union policies toward Central Asia and examines the level of awareness of the EU and its policies among young Kazakhs.

The discussion was moderated by Andreas Marazis, ENC Head of Research for Eastern Europe & Central Asia, and features the comments and insights of Dr. Zhanibek Arynov.

You can listen the in-depth interview here:

ENC In-Depth Podcast Series

War in Ukraine – Views from the EU and its Wider Neighbourhood

Episode 15

This ENC in-depth discussion is part of a special podcast series with academics and experts dedicated to the War in Ukraine. The series will provide views and investigate the repercussions of the war across the EU, the UK, and wider Europe. In the 15th episode, we are focusing on how to deal with disinformation while the war in Ukraine is still raging.

The discussion was moderated by Andreas Marazis, ENC Head of Research for Eastern Europe & Central Asia, and features the comments and insights of Dr. Martyna Bildziukiewicz, who is a strategic communications and disinformation expert. She holds a PhD in political science and since 2018 is part of the East Stratcom Task Force, of which she became the head in May 2021. The task force, based in the European External Action Service, runs the EUvsDisinfo project – the European Union’s flagship initiative that monitors, responds to, and raises public awareness about pro-Kremlin disinformation.

You can listen the in-depth interview here: