Podcast

ENC In-Depth Podcast: Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Policy in light of the war in Ukraine

The in-depth discussion is dedicated to the recently published ENC Analysis: “Walking a Fine Line: Kyrgyzstan’s Foreign Policy post-2022” by our Academic Council Member Dr. Aijan Sharshenova.

In her article, Dr. Sharshenova explains, among other things, how the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, a country that is in a particularly difficult situation due to its dependence on both the Russian economy and Western development funding, navigates its foreign policy choices in the context of the war in Ukraine.

The discussion was moderated by Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, ENC Managing Director, and features the comments and insights of Dr. Aijan Sharshenova a Research Fellow at the Foreign Policy Centre, UK.

You can listen to the in-depth interview here:

ENC In-Depth Podcast: The EU, China and Russia’s engagement in Central Asia after the war in Ukraine

The in-depth discussion is dedicated to the recently published study titled “The Return of Central Asia: The EU’s engagement with a region threatened by the Dragonbear” by the European Neighbourhood Council and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Multinational Development Policy Dialogue (MDPD) Brussels.

In this podcast, Samuel Doveri Vesterbye was joined by Dr. Farkhod Aminjonov, to discuss, among other topics, Russia’s position in Central Asia before and after the war in Ukraine, China’s growing security and economic interests in the region, how much investment will be needed in the Middle Corridor in order to reach the capacity in terms of trade and supply chains and how the EU can better engage in the region of Central Asia.

The discussion was moderated by Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, ENC Managing Director, and features the comments and insights of Dr. Farkhod Aminjonov, Assistant Professor at the College for Humanities at Zayed University, United Arab Emirates.

You can listen the in-depth interview here.

ENC In-Depth Podcast

Alternative Connectivity Routes for Central Asia

This ENC In-Depth podcast is dedicated to the recently published ENC Analysis: “Russia’s War in Ukraine Shifts Central Asia’s Connectivity” by our External Advisor Bruce Pannier.

In his article, Bruce Pannier explains, among other things, how Russia’s war in Ukraine has pushed Central Asian countries to put more effort into developing alternative trade routes, the region’s changing relationship with Russia and the possible opportunities presented by the new connectivity currently being built.

The discussion was moderated by Andreas Marazis, ENC Head of Research for Eastern Europe & Central Asia, and features the comments and insights of  Bruce Pannier, a longtime journalist and Central Asia expert with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

You can listen the in-depth interview here:

ENC In-Depth Podcast: Understanding Kazakhstan’s Foreign Policy Choices

This ENC In-Depth podcast is dedicated to the recently published ENC Analysis: “Between Scylla and Charybdis: Kazakhstan’s Foreign Policy in Pursuit of a New Equilibrium” by our Academic Council Member Nargis Kassenova.

In her article, Dr. Kassenova explains, among other things, Kazakhstan’s foreign policy choices, the country’s strengths and vulnerabilities, and what key topics and alliances will shape Kazakhstan’s foreign policy 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  Nargis Kassenova, Senior Fellow and director of the Program on Central Asia at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies (Harvard University) and Associate Professor at the Department of International Relations and Regional Studies of KIMEP University in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

You can listen the in-depth interview here:

ENC In-Depth Podcast

Analysis of Recent Developments in Central Asia

The in-depth discussion is dedicated to recent developments in Central Asia, including the recent high level summit that took place in Astana on the 14th of October, the UN Human Rights Council’s 7th of October vote and understanding the true purpose of military alliances such as the CSTO and SCO.

The debate is part of the ENC in-depth podcast discussions with experts and academics assessing the developments in Central Asia in the fields of Security, Foreign Policy, Economy, Democracy and Education.

The discussion was moderated by Andreas Marazis, ENC Head of Research for Eastern Europe & Central Asia, and features the comments and insights of Temur Umarov, fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

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: