Events & Activities
The Fifth Annual Central Asia Conference: Central Asia and Its Geopolitical Impact on South Asia, the Caucasus and the Middle East
Thursday, April 19
3:30 – 5:00 PM Georgia at the Crossroads, UC Theater
Chair and discussant: Thomas Goltz, Visiting Scholar, Central and Southwest Asia Program, The University of Montana
Presenters: His Excellency Irakli Alasania, Ambassador of Georgia to the United Nations, Dr. Giorgio Rota, Institute of Iranic Studies of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna; Maia Sukhiashvili, Professor of Persian Language and Literature at Kutaisi State University and Visiting Professor at The University of Montana; and Milena Oganesyan, Graduate Student from Georgia, Department of History, The University of Montana
6:30-7:30 PM Musical Performance and Presentation, UC Theater
The mugham ensemble Ghadim Sharqe performs the classical heritage of Azerbaijani musical culture.
7:30-9:30 PM Central Asia and its Geopolitical Impact on the Caucasus and the Middle East, UC Theater
Chair and discussant: Dr. Nancy Lubin, President of JNA Associates, Washington D.C.
Panelists: His Excellency Abdujabbor Shirinov, Ambassador of Tajikistan to the United States; Her Excellency Zamira Sydykova, Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States; His Excellency Irakli Alasania, Ambassador of Georgia to the United Nations; Elin Suleymanov, Consul General of Azerbaijan to the United States, Los Angeles; and John G. Fox, Director of the Office for Afghanistan at the United States Department of State in Washington, D.C.
Friday, April 20
10:00 – 11:30 AM The Interpretation of Nature, Space, and Time in Kazakh Culture, UC 326
Chair: Dr. Ardi Kia, Associate Director, Central and Southwest Asia Program, The University of Montana
Discussant: Dr. Mehrdad Kia, Director, International Programs and Central and Southwest Asia Program at The University of Montana.
Presenter: Dr. Aigul Bokayeva, Professor of Kazakh Culture and Society, Faculty of Philosophy, Karaganda State University, Kazakhstan
12:00-1:00 PM Historical Relations Between the Caucasus and Central Asia, UC 326
Presenter: Dr. Giorgio Rota, Institute of Iranic Studies at the Austrian Academy of Sciences
1:00-3:00 PM Kyrgyzstan in Transition, UC Ballroom
Chair and discussant: Dr. Ardi Kia, Associate Director, Central and Southwest Asia Program, The University of Montana
Panelists: Her Excellency Zamira Sydykova, Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States; Baktybek Abdrisaev, Former Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States; Kubanychbek Tabaldiev, Visiting Fulbright Scholar, The University of Montana School of Journalism;
3:00-5:00 PM Whither Azerbaijan: Kuwait on the Caspian, UC Ballroom
Chair and discussant: Thomas Goltz, Visiting Scholar, Central and Southwest Asian Studies Program, The University of Montana
Panelists: Taleh Ziyadov, Deputy Executive Director of the US-Azerbaijan Chamber of Commerce, Washington, DC; Elin Suleymanov, Consul General of Azerbaijan to the United States, Los Angeles.
6:30-7:30 PM Musical Performance and Presentation, UC Ballroom
Jeffrey Werbock, a noted authority on Azerbaijani culture and president of the U.S.-based Mugham Society, will speak about the music and artistic culture of Azerbaijan and the Caucasus region and play music from the mugham tradition that until recently was virtually unknown outside the Caucasus.
7:30–9:30 PM Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle East: Policy Challenges for the United States, UC Ballroom
Presenter: Richard Boucher, Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, United States Department of State.
Saturday, April 21
10:00-12:00 PM Roundtable Discussion, UC Theater
Chair and moderator: Nancy Lubin, President of JNA Associates, Inc., and Senior Fellow for Eurasia at the American Foreign Policy Council.
Panelists: His Excellency Abdujabbor Shirinov, Ambassador of Tajikistan to the United States; Her Excellency Zamira Sydykova, Ambassador of the Kyrgyz Republic to the United States; Elin Suleymanov, Consul General of Azerbaijan to the United States, Los Angeles; and John G. Fox, Director of the Office for Afghanistan at the United States Department of State.
All presentations are free and open to the public.