Trans-Caspian Forum on Capitol Hill
Tuesday, June 27th, 2017
4:00 p.m. 09.00-11.30
The Central Asia, Caspian Sea, South Caucasus and Black Sea regions together form a strategically important transit corridor between Asia and Europe. Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan,Turkey and Turkmenistan are in the process of forming the integrated network of infrastructure elements and harmonization of the customs and cross-border procedures, that will facilitate trade, as well as strategic access to Eurasian heartland.
The Central Asia-Caucasus Institute is inviting you to join us and the Embassies of Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Turkmenistan to the USA, to discuss projects and investment opportunities for the US companies, as well as supporting government policies for the development of the modern Silk Road - an important strategic link between Asia and Europe.
Agenda
9:00 - 9:30 - Breakfast / Networking / Registration
9:30 - 9:35 - Welcoming remarks by Mamuka Tsereteli, Senior Fellow, Central-Asia Caucasus Institute
9:35 - 9:45 - Address by US Congressman Pete Sessions (R-TX)
9:45 - 9:55 - Address by Congressman Steve Chabot (R-OH)
09:55 - 10:10 - Keynote remarks by Rear Admiral Lawrence B. Jackson
Director of Strategy, Capabilities, Policy and Logistics, US Transportation Command
10:15 - 11:05 Presenting the common message by the Forum country officials
- Said Mubin Shah, Commercial Attaché, former Deputy Minister of Finance of Afghanistan
- Elchin Ahmadov, Head of Coordinating Council on Transit Freight (Azerbaijan)
- David Javakhadze, Deputy Director of Transport and Logistics Development Policy Department, MOESD (Georgia)
- Sergey Anashkin, Executive Director, “Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ)“ JSC
- Tugay Tuncer, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of Turkey
11:05 - 11:30 Discussion
Moderator: Mamuka Tsereteli, Senior Fellow, Central-Asia Caucasus Institute
Please note location of this forum:
Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2203Monday, April 3, 2017
4:00 p.m.
Since the death of Uzekistan’s President Islam Karimov in September of 2016, the stability that characterized key developments and overall dynamics in Uzbekistan as well as in the Central Asia region as a whole, has been undergoing a noticeable shift. Initiatives of the newly installed President Mirziyoyev in Uzbekistan and proposals regarding reforms by President Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan suggest that something may be stirring in Central Asia. This first joint forum of the Central Asia-Caucasus Institute and the Atlantic Council will present these developments, ask if they represent a real shift, and consider the implications of such changes for the Central Asia region as a whole and for its place in the world.
Speakers:
Ambassador John Herbst
Director, Dinu Patriciu Eurasia Center
Atlantic Council
Ambassador Richard Hoagland
Interim Co-chair
OSCE Minsk Group
Mr. Daniel Rosenblum
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Central Asia,
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs
US Department of State
Dr. Martha Olcott
Visiting Professor
Michigan State University
Moderated By:
Dr. S. Frederick Starr
Chairman, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute
American Foreign Policy Council
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE WEBCAST
Wednesday, 30 November 2016, from 5 to 7 p.m.
Light reception with Georgian wines at 5; main program at 5:30
A decline in commodity prices and slowing in key economic partners such as Russia and China, had a significant impact on the countries of Central Asia and the South Caucasus. Regional growth is projected to average only 1.3 percent this year, representing a dramatic decrease in economic activity compared with growth rates of the early 2000s. According to the IMF, next year the region's economies should turn a corner, with average growth reaching 2.6 percent. Medium-term prospects remain weak, however, with growth projected to average 4 percent in the 2018–21 period, half that in 2000–14.
These and other important economic topics will be discussed as part of the Regional Economic Outlook Report, the latest IMF release on the Caucasus and Central Asia. The special focus of this year's presentation is Kazakhstan: the discussion will review this country's macroeconomic and structural policy response to shocks that began in late 2014, and will examine prospects for the medium term.
Speakers:
Juha Kahkonen, Deputy Director, Middle East and Central Asia Dept., IMF
Mark Horton, Mission Chief, Kazakhstan, IMF
Moderator:
Mamuka Tsereteli, Research Director, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute
Rome Building Auditorium
SAIS - Johns Hopkins University
1619 Massachusetts Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20036
CACI FORUM
Tuesday, 22 November 2016, from 12 to 2 p.m.
Since its emergence as a nation in the early twentieth century, Azerbaijan’s state and society have both remained remarkably faithful to secular governance and a civic national conception. In recent years, the government has doubled down on these concepts, among other by designating 2016 the year of multiculturalism. But what do these terms mean in practice? What are the policies developed by the Azerbaijani government, and what reactions have emerged in society? How does Azerbaijan compare to countries in its neighborhood, and what are the implications for the West?
Speakers:
Svante E. Cornell, Director, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute
Moderator: Mamuka Tsereteli, Research Director, Central Asia-Caucasus Institute
This event may now be viewed on the SAIS Events channel on YouTube.