Focused discussions on NATO’s Wales Summit and partnership with Central Asia
NATO’s Wales Summit and the Alliance’s cooperation with partners in Central Asia were the key themes of a discussion at Uzbekistan’s University of World Economy and Diplomacy (UWED) on 4 September.
Coinciding with the opening of the Wales Summit and organised jointly by UWED, the office of the NATO Liaison Officer in Central Asia and the British and Italian embassies in Tashkent, the event aimed to inform the UWED community about the Summit’s priorities and NATO’s activities in the Central Asian region.
After opening remarks by Dr Nodir Jumaev, the Rector of UWED, Mr Raimonds Vingris, NATO/ISAF Transit Liaison Officer briefed the audience on the NATO Summit, the mandate of the Office of the NATO Liaison Officer in Central Asia and cooperation between NATO and Uzbekistan. The Italian Ambassador to Uzbekistan Mr Riccardo Manara outlined Italy’s priorities within the Alliance and its role as the current NATO Contact Point Embassy in Uzbekistan. The concluding presentation was delivered by the British Ambassador to Uzbekistan Mr George Edgar who spoke about the role of the United Kingdom in NATO, the UK contribution to NATO operations in Afghanistan and objectives for the Wales Summit.
A vivid discussion followed during which students had the opportunity to enhance their knowledge of the Alliance and international affairs, and to debate the most pressing issues in global and regional security with NATO and Allied representatives. Students asked whether the Wales Summit’s outcomes would have an impact on the foreign policy of the European Union. They were also interested in knowing about NATO-Afghanistan cooperation and Afghanistan’s future after ISAF’s withdrawal end 2014, which was explained to them by the ambassadors present. Mr. Vingris concluded: “The international community, including Afghanistan’s neighbours have a continued and vital role to ensure the security and stability of Afghanistan and the region”. Other questions concerned NATO’s history and evolution, positions of individual NATO member states at the Summit and the importance of the Summit for NATO partners in Central Asia.
UWED’s rector made closing remarks and thanked the organisers for creating the opportunity for students to enhance their knowledge of international affairs and to discuss the current security situation with experts in the field. He expressed the wish of the University to continue cooperation with NATO through academic and expert conferences of this kind where different parties could exchange views and share experiences.
The reflection of the British Embassy in Tashkent about the event can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/world-location-news/presentation-on-the-nato-summit-is-held-in-tashkent