ENC TEAM – Page 3

Mar 15

ENC – FNFT Shaping the Future of Turkiye – EU Relations Together (2023)

By ENC TEAM Projects

ENC – FNFT Shaping the Future of Turkiye – EU Relations Together (2023)

The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC), with the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) office in Turkiye, organized a Networking Trip in Brussels under the framework of the project titled “Shaping the Future of Turkiye – EU Relations Together”.

The objective of the trip was to give a comprehensive, innovative and progressive picture of Europe’s thematic priority areas to each of the distinguished Turkish opinion shapers, through a series of expert closed-doors roundtables, tailor-made one-on-one meetings, and public events held in Brussels. These inter-disciplinary meetings were held to discuss progressive strategies for the EU-Turkiye future while emphasizing the EU value-based priorities. Furthermore, the meetings were carefully coordinated and selected to yield skill transfer and serve the purpose of enriching opinion-shapers’ knowledge of new European policy initiatives, funds, or research.

The ENC and FNFT hosted 1 special guest and 8 eminent opinion shapers, namely Ece Temelkuran, novelist and political thinker; Nevşin Mengü, journalist; Can Selçuki, co-founder of the Istanbul Economics Research; Emre Keki, senior partner at PAE Law Office; İsrafil Özkan, director of the Freedom Research Association; Nayat Karaköse, programme coordinator at the Hrant Dink Foundation; Dr. Çiğdem Çımrın, co-founder of Minerva BHR; Dr. Özge Öner, associate professor at the University of Cambridge; and Yiğit Göktuğ Torun, project assistant at the Human Rights Academy and Türkiye-Europe Lectures at FNF Turkiye. The experts had a chance to discuss their individual fields of work and interests, their perspectives, and share their insights on, among other things, human rights due diligence, the impact of the recent devastating earthquakes, media freedom in Turkiye and the role of social media, civil society and minority rights.

In total, we held three official meetings with high officials and two events under the framework of the project, along with networking lunches and dinners. This productive week was kicked off with a meeting with Ferdinand Kopp (EEAS Turkiye Desk), where the upcoming Turkish elections and the response to the recent earthquake were discussed. The programme continued with a closed lunch briefing with the European Foundation for Democracy where the elections and the role of civil society were elaborated on in greater depth. Furthermore, the group attended a meeting with the European Liberal Forum, focused on the future of EU-Turkiye relations, which was followed by an event on the International Women’s Day 2023, organized by the European Neighbourhood Council and hosted by the MEP Nacho Sánchez Amor, titled “Disaster, Democracy and the Faces of Civil Society in Türkiye”. Right before the networking trip ended, Bernard Brunet, Head of the Turkiye Unit, hosted the opinion shapers at the DG Near premises, where the EU’s positive agenda on Turkiye with an emphasis on the Green Deal, trade, and migration was discussed. Additionally, the experts had an exceptional chance to network one-on-one with the EU officials, during multiple lunches and dinners organized during their visit.

The overarching goal of the trip was to strengthen ties among the civil society professionals from Turkiye and EU officials from the European Commission, the European External Action Service, and the European Parliament while promoting and shaping the future of EU – Turkiye relations. The passionate and engaging debates the experts sparked either with the EU officials or the general public showcased the importance of such training programmes and the need to stay connected, work together, and share knowledge and ideas at societal, political, economic, and academic levels.

Mar 12

Experts Discussed Women’s Rights, The Upcoming Elections, and Disaster Relief in Turkiye at the European Parliament Event

By ENC TEAM Events

Experts Discussed Women’s Rights, The Upcoming Elections, and Disaster Relief in Turkiye at the European Parliament Event

The European Neighbourhood Council organized an event titled “Disaster, Democracy and the Faces of Civil Society in Türkiye” on International Women’s Day 2023, at the European Parliament.

Nacho Sánchez Amor, Member of the European Parliament and Türkiye Rapporteur delivered a warm welcome address, highlighting his recent visit to the areas affected by earthquakes, and underscoring the urgent need for swift actions. He also emphasised that Turkiye is an enormous country in many ways and the European Union should understand its complexity here in Brussels.

Samuel Doveri Vesterbye, Director of ENC, said that this event is dedicated to the International Women’s Day, particularly in light of the alarming rise of gender violence not only in Turkiye, but also across Europe. The welcoming part of the event underlined the critical role of both European institutions and civil society in advancing gender equality and human rights in Turkiye.

Ece Temelkuran, a famous author known for her work on women’s rights and democracy; Nevşin Mengü, an independent journalist who has covered the country’s political landscape extensively; and Can Selçuki, co-founder of the Istanbul Economics Research were the main speakers of the event. In addition to the panel speakers, there were additional comments and a Q&A session featuring Emre Keki, a senior partner at PAE Law Office; İsrafil Özkan, director of the Freedom Research Association; Nayat Karaköse, programme coordinator at the Hrant Dink Foundation; Çiğdem Çımrın, co-founder of Minerva BHR; Özge Öner, associate professor at the University of Cambridge; and Yiğit Göktuğ Torun, a project assistant at the Human Rights Academy and Türkiye-Europe Lectures at FNF Turkey. The experts brought their valuable perspectives and shared their insights on, among other things, human rights due diligence, civil society and minority rights at the event.

The event’s overarching theme was the role of women’s rights in promoting democracy and upcoming elections in Turkiye, especially now, when Turkiye’s opposition are united and appointed one joint candidate. It also brought attention to the crucial role of women’s rights as a driving force for democracy in Turkiye, the impact of recent devastating earthquakes, and the pressing need for democracy and European values in Turkish society. In addition, the panelists shared their perspectives on what we should anticipate from the upcoming May 2023 elections.

Our event gave insightful discussion on the latest development in Turkiye for nearly 80 guests and shed light on Turkiye’s current political landscape after the catastrophic earthquake and ongoing crisis, and to the crucial role of women as driving force for democracy. The event was held under the project titled “Shaping the Future of Turkey – EU Relations Together”, supported by the Friedrich Nauman Foundation Turkey (FNF Turkey).

Mar 03

The Return of Central Asia: The EU’s engagement with a region threatened by the Dragonbear

By ENC TEAM Publications, Research

The Return of Central Asia: The EU’s engagement with a region threatened by the Dragonbear

The European Neighbourhood Council released a new study titled “The Return of Central Asia: the EU’s engagement with a region threatened by the Dragonbear” together with Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) | Multinational Development Policy Dialogue (MDPD) Brussels.

This report is written by Samuel Doveri Vesterbye (ENC Managing Director), Farkhod Aminjonov (Assistant Professor at National Defence College), Kemel Toktomushev (Senior Research Fellow at UCA’s Institute of Public Policy and Administration and Assistant Professor of Political Science at UCA’s School of Arts and Sciences) and edited by Janne Leino (KAS Programme Manager Foreign and Security Policy and Multilateral Issues). The foreword of the report is written by Michael Gahler, Member of the European Parliament, Coordinator for Foreign Affairs, European People´s Party Group in the European Parliament.

A renewed interest in Central Asia has emerged as a result of the Russian aggression in Ukraine, Europe’s reliance on fossil resources, and trade routes to Asia. Central Asia has been regarded as a secondary priority in European Union (EU) policy circles. Despite the region’s geographic location between Asia and Europe, limited EU funding has been allocated towards the five Central Asian Republics. This paradigm has changed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Today, Central Asia is capable of providing the EU with much-needed energy diversification, rare earths, new markets and security partnerships. This study looks at how the European Union and its Member states should engage with the region, where both China and Russia have already established a strong presence.

The main findings of the study include:

The EU should concentrate on closer cooperation with its partners in the sense of a “Team Europe” in order to provide Central Asia with an alternative to the growing Russian and Chinese influence.
The EU and its member states should have an understanding of the regional security environment of Central Asia to achieve long-term success and to be able to implement cooperation in a goal-oriented manner.
It’s important to combat the manipulation of foreign information and to increase funding for enhancing media literacy in Central Asia in order to guarantee a stable starting point for political and economic activity.

Read the full study here.

Read the Flipbook version here.

Feb 21

ENC Analysis: EU-Central Asian Interactions

By ENC TEAM Publications, Research

ENC Analysis: EU-Central Asian Interactions

The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released its new analysis on the growing importance of the interactions between the European Union and Central Asian countries.

This article is written by our academic council members Prof. Rick Fawn (Chair in International Relations at the University of St Andrews in Scotland), Dr. Karolina Kluczewska (FWO postdoctoral researcher at the Ghent Institute for International and European Studies (GIES) at Ghent University), and Dr. Oleg Korneev (Associate Professor at the Department of Political Science and International Relations at the HSE University in St. Petersburg).

Central Asia’s role in the EU’s external relations and security agenda is growing and has served as a testing ground for many EU policies, particularly those related to region-building and resilience promotion. In turn, studying the EU’s approach sheds light on how Central Asian actors engage with external partners, influence national policy agendas, and impact everyday life. In this ENC Analysis, the authors examine how the EU and Central Asia view one another, as well as mention the ten articles that came out of the research project ‘Contested Global Governance, Transformed Global Governors? International Organisations and “Weak” States’ (GLOBALCONTEST), and a series of events co-organized by European Neighbourhood Council and the project team.

The full analysis is available here.

Jan 16

ENC In-Depth Podcast: Alternative Connectivity Routes for Central Asia

By ENC TEAM Podcast

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:

Jan 11

ENC Analysis: Russia’s War in Ukraine Shifts Central Asia’s Connectivity

By ENC TEAM Publications, Research

ENC Analysis

Russia’s War in Ukraine Shifts Central Asia’s Connectivity

The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released its new analysis on “Russia’s War in Ukraine Shifts Central Asia’s Connectivity”.

This article is written by our external advisor Bruce Pannier, a longtime journalist and Central Asia expert.

Since the mid-19th century, Central Asia was either part of the Tsarist Russian Empire or the Soviet Union, and even after the USSR fell apart in late 1991, Russia continued to have a significant impact on the region. In this ENC Analysis, the author explains 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 its former colonizer and the possible opportunities presented by the new connectivity currently being built.

The full analysis is available here.

Dec 12

ENC Analysis: Armenia’s Populist Foreign Policy-Making Process Between 2018 and 2020: Navigating Volonté Générale and War

By ENC TEAM Publications, Research

Armenia’s Populist Foreign Policy-Making Process Between 2018 and 2020: Navigating Volonté Générale and War

The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released its new analysis titled “Armenia’s Populist Foreign Policy-Making Process Between 2018 and 2020: Navigating Volonté Générale and War”.

The paper is co-authored by Dr. Vahram Ter-Matevosyan, ENC Academic Council Member, Associate Researcher and Associate Professor at Rabdan Academy, and Dr. Hovhannes Nikoghosyan, Adjunct Lecturer at American University of Armenia.

In this ENC Analysis, the authors discuss the leadership of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and other government institutions, such as the National Security Council, in the foreign policy-making process of Armenia between 2018 and 2020, around the question of “How has the foreign policy-making style of a populist leader in Armenia affected the Foreign Policy Decision Making (FPDM) process, and what have been ‘the resultants’ of those processes?”.

The full analysis is available here.

Nov 10

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

By ENC TEAM Podcast

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:

Oct 27

ENC In-Depth Podcast: Analysis of Recent Developments in Central Asia

By ENC TEAM Podcast

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.

Oct 13

ENC Analysis – Between Scylla and Charybdis: Kazakhstan Foreign Policy in Pursuit of a New Equilibrium

By ENC TEAM Publications, Research

ENC Analysis – Between Scylla and Charybdis: Kazakhstan Foreign Policy in Pursuit of a New Equilibrium

The European Neighbourhood Council (ENC) released its new analysis on “Between Scylla and Charybdis: Kazakhstan Foreign Policy in Pursuit of a New Equilibrium”.

This article is written by our academic council member Dr. Nargis Kassenova, who is a Senior Fellow and the 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.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has challenged Kazakhstan’s consistent foreign policy, making it almost impossible to find a balance between the West and Russia. In this ENC Analysis, Dr. Kassenova delves into Kazakhstan’s foreign policy choices between 2018 and 2022, current priorities and dilemmas, the country’s strengths and vulnerabilities, and what key topics and alliances will shape Kazakhstan’s foreign policy in the future.

The full analysis is available here.