[News] SNUAC CECAS Meets with Aripov Eldor, Director of Uzbekistan’s Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies

On June 16, Aripov Eldor, Director of the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, visited SNUAC, accompanied by Sardor Sadikov, Third Secretary at the Embassy of Uzbekistan in the Republic of Korea, and Fakhriddin Nabiev, Political Counselor at the Embassy. The meeting was attended by Suhong Chae, Director of SNUAC; Beomshik Shin, Director of the Center for Eurasian and Central Asian Studies (CECAS); Tae-yok Ha, former Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan; Kayoung Ko, HK Research Professor; and Sunhee Kim, Vadim Slapchenko, Ayoung Choi, and Yuihyun Hwang, Research Fellows at CECAS.

Director Eldor introduced the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies and explained that, ahead of the Korea–Central Asia Summit scheduled for September this year, the institute is preparing concrete and visible agendas through which it can contribute to strengthening Korea–Uzbekistan relations. In this context, he expressed interest in establishing a cooperative relationship between the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies and SNUAC, including the signing of an MOU. Specific proposals included forming a bilateral expert council, holding joint seminars, organizing annual academic events such as a commemorative event marking the 90th anniversary of the migration of Koryo-saram, and pursuing joint research and publications. He particularly emphasized that the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies is distinguished from other research institutes by its status as an organization directly affiliated with the Office of the President of Uzbekistan, which enables it to engage in academic cooperation directly with government ministries.

Director Eldor also noted that security issues in Afghanistan are an important concern for Uzbekistan. He introduced a number of academic events to be held in Uzbekistan to discuss Afghanistan-related issues, including the Fergana Peace Forum scheduled for October, the Termez Seminar, and a joint academic conference bringing together experts on Central Asia and Afghanistan. He expressed hopes for possible cooperation between the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies and SNUAC on these topics.

Director Suhong Chae noted that Uzbekistan was the first Central Asian country to establish diplomatic relations with Korea and that, despite the presence of Koryo-saram as a community that can serve as a bridge between the two countries, public awareness of Uzbekistan in Korea remains limited. He emphasized that SNUAC is seeking to contribute to overcoming this situation. Director Chae also stated that he hoped SNUAC could gain new ideas through cooperation with the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies on a wide range of topics, including Korea–Uzbekistan economic cooperation, the importance of Central Asian countries in Korea’s diplomatic diversification and geopolitical strategy in response to changing international circumstances, technological hegemony, and youth issues. In particular, he expressed expectations that the two institutions could generate synergies through collaborative research on domestic public opinion in Uzbekistan using social media and the press.

Beomshik Shin, Director of the CECAS, introduced the center’s research agenda, including regional security in Central Asia, the foreign policies of Central Asian countries, and migration and refugee issues in Eurasia, and expressed his hopes for opportunities to cooperate with the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies. To this end, he proposed developing concrete plans for a joint event between the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies and SNUAC before the Korea–Central Asia Summit in September, and conveyed the Central Asian Studies research team’s interest in participating in the Fergana Peace Forum.

Ambassador Tae-yok Ha stated that the Korea–Central Asia Summit would represent a historic opportunity for bilateral relations and emphasized the need to establish a foundation for sustained cooperation between Korea and Central Asia on the occasion of the summit. He also noted that the CECAS is currently conducting research on issues expected to become major agenda items at the summit, and remarked that cooperation between the two institutes would provide an opportunity to broaden public awareness in Korean society regarding Korea’s relations with Central Asia.

This visit served as an occasion to confirm the potential for academic and research cooperation between SNUAC and the Institute for Strategic and Regional Studies, while laying the groundwork for various forms of future exchange.