Experts give high appraisal to Astana Club meetings

As earlier reported the first session of the discussions was held on November 14 when experts talked about influence of global challenges on the Eurasian continent. Representatives of China, Russia, the USA, the European Union countries, Iran, Turkey and others shared their opinions. After the opening session the participants of the Club had a meeting with Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev.

 

On the second day of the discussions, on November 15, the sessions reflected the vision of the region's problems by world's major players.

Today, on November 16, during the final session the experts discussed the matters of consolidation of the Eurasian continent and its transformation into the space of partnership rather than space of a battle. Afterwards the experts met the chairman of the Senate of RoK Parliament Kassym-Zhomart Tokayev and Minister of Internal Affairs of RoK Yerlan Idrissov. The participants of Club asked the public servants many questions concerning Kazakhstan's standing on different international topics.

Speaking about the discussion Former Deputy Director General of the UNESCO Peter Smith noted there were raised many vital issues of development of the Eurasia - starting with development of transport infrastructure to safety issues. "The main value of discussions is that all these aspects of development of the Eurasian region were considered in one set", - Smith commented.

"There are a lot of platforms for expert meetings in the world, however the main feature of the Astana Club that it is focused on the Eurasian region, at the same time without cutting off it from other countries, considering problems in a complex. The fact that such meetings take place in Kazakhstan which is in heart of the Eurasia is symbolical too", Alexander Gabuyev, Program Manager of "Russia in the Pacific Rim" of the Moscow Center of Carnegie considers.

 

"The concept of "eurasianism" was first offered by the President Nazarbayev. Thanks to him there has been created a good platform for discussion of cooperation in Eurasia. Korea is interested in broadening cooperation in Eurasia. Owing to the Astana Club, we can find a common language and ways of cooperation", - Vice-President of the Korean Institute of International Economic Policy Ja-Young Li commented.

"Due to the multivector policy which is pursued by the Kazakhstan's leadership we have built up equal relationship with all countries. Therefore here, on the neutral platform, we could organize a frank conversation during which, as all participants recognized, competition left and creativity came", - Director of the Institute of World Economy and Policy under the Fund of the First President of Kazakhstan - Sultan Akimbekov emphasized.

The Astana Club is a discussion platform devoted to the key issues of development of the Eurasia. The organizer of Club is the Fund of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. This year more than 50 world leading experts of economy, policy, international relations from different countries, including the USA, Russia, the European Union, China, Turkey, Iran and others took part in the second meeting of the Astana club.

The sessions of club are conducted by the Chatham House rules which allow to voice ideas without disclosure of their authorship. It allows experts to discuss the most acute world issues frankly. There isn't a lot of discussion platforms working by such a principle in the world, and this is another main feature of the Astana Club.