We welcome everyone to a panel event, hosted jointly by the Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD) and Forum for Uzbek and Silk Road Studies (FUSRS), featuring participation from the International University of Humanities and Development in Ashgabat (IUHD), with discussions focused on Turkmen Languages and Cultures, History and Education, Politics & International Relations.
Centre for the Study of Democracy (CSD), established in 1989, is based in the School of Social Sciences at the University of Westminster. CSD has a long-standing international reputation for research excellence through a programme of publications, events and collaborations with academics, practitioners, policymakers, activists, and governments. We undertake research across a range of critical social and political challenges, promoting an interdisciplinary intercultural environment to encourage new ways of thinking about knowledge, power and identity in international relations.
The Forum for Uzbek and Silk Road Studies (FUSRS) is a joint initiative between Westminster International University in Tashkent and the University of Westminster in London that provides an inclusive and dynamic platform for debate and discussion on contemporary developments in Uzbekistan, Central Asia, and the wider Silk Road and Eurasian regions. The Forum has supported more than 30 collaborative research projects spanning topics such as artificial intelligence and health technologies, sustainability and higher education governance, green and resilient urban development, and other interdisciplinary areas, alongside a wide range of in-person and virtual seminars, workshops, symposia and public research events that engage diverse research communities. Its activities are further supported by the University of Westminster Press Silk Road journal.
Programme
5.30pm: Arrival and registration
6pm-6.20pm:
- Introduction and Welcome to the University by Professor Dibyesh Anand (Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Global Engagement and Employability)
- Introduction to our engagement with Higher Education in Turkmenistan by Professor Andrew Linn (Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research and Knowledge Exchange)
- Introduction to the MoU from Dr Maral Kuliyeva (Rector, IUHD)
- Message from UK ambassador to Turkmenistan His Excellency Stephen Conlon
6.20pm-7.15pm: Panel discussion with the following speakers:
- Arslan Charyyev, Head of the International Relations Department, History and Education
- Maral Kuliyeva, Rector of the International University for the Humanities and Development, Politics and International Relations
- Chemen Vekilova, Dean of the Language Learning Department, Languages and Culture
Respondents from the University of Westminster to include:
- Dr Karen Jackson, Westminster Business School/ Co-director of FUSRS
- Professor Nitasha Kaul, CSD
- Professor Andrew Linn
- Dr Wojciech Ostrowski, CSD
- Chair: Professor Nitasha Kaul, Director of CSD
7.15pm-7.45pm: Questions and answers from the floor, closing remarks and thanks
7.45pm-8.30pm: Reception
