A conversation with:
Mr. Yerkin Akhinzhanov
Deputy Chief of Mission and Minister Counselor
Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan to the United States
Ms. Nisha Biswal
Senior Adviser
Albright Stonebridge Group;
Former Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs
US Department of State
Dr. Ariel Cohen
Senior Fellow, Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center
Atlantic Council
Mr. Catullus Helmer
Co-Founder and Partner, Enovid LLP; Former Senior Adviser to the Prime Minister
Republic of Kazakhstan
Moderated by:
Ambassador John Herbst
Director, Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center
Atlantic Council
Eurasia is in the midst of a geopolitical adjustment in which Russia, India, and China are playing influential roles. Major initiatives such as Beijing’s three trillion-dollar infrastructure project, the One Belt-One Road (OBOR), and the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union, seek to reinforce the weight of new global players in the region. Highlighting this push for influence, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a joint Russian-Chinese initiative, welcomed India and Pakistan as members during the SCO’s June meeting in the Kazakh capital, Astana. The moves of Central Asia’s large neighbors parallel significant developments within countries of the region, for example Uzbekistan, which has pursued increasingly neighbor-friendly policies, and Kazakhstan, who is this year hosting EXPO2017, a major international exhibition on the future of energy.
Against this backdrop, the US has been comparatively inactive. As the current US administration gets its foreign policy sea legs, landlocked Central Asia has not received much attention. This event will bring together experts for a dynamic conversation on this topic.
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Atlantic Council
1030 15th Street NW, 12th Floor (West Tower Elevator)
Washington, DC
This event is open to press and on the record.