Round-table Conference on Acquaintance with Kazakhstan

Directorate for International Academic Cooperation -

On Tuesday, 16 October 2018, L.N. Gumilev Eurasian National University (ENU), together with Allameh Tabataba'i University (ATU) and the Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Tehran, held a round-table discussion at the Iran-Kazakhstan Academic and Cultural Centre in ATU on the subject of "Acquaintance with Kazakhstan".

In the round-table discussion there were Dr Ahmad Mohammad Hossein Abedini, lecturer from the Islamic Azad University; Dr Bahram Amirahmadian, lecturer from ATU and Tehran University; Mr Hamid Jalali and Mr Javad Toufiqi, Masters students in ATU Department of Central Asia and Caucasus Studies. The round-table discussion was moderated by Ms Tyulubayeva Akmarala, a PhD student of International relations at ENU. The Iran and Kazakhstan Academic and Cultural Centre had been opened in Tehran on 6 May 2018 at the initiative of the ENU first vice-rector, Moldazhanova Asemgul Aleksandrovna, and with the participation of ENU Rector and ATU President.

As the main audience of the session were Iranian and other non-Kazakh students, the moderator provided an overview of the Republic of Kazakhstan, including its geographical location, state standards, population, area of the country, state symbolism, administrative division, foreign policy, among others. Dr Amirahmadian, an expert in Central Asia and Caucasus Studies and the ex-chairman of the Friendship Assembly of Iran and Georgia, then spoke on his working visit to Kazakhstan as a participant in one of the international conferences, as well as his vision and impressions about the country.

Dr Mohammadhossein Abedini then presented a speech on the "Features of Kazakhstan in comparison with other Central Asian Republics: Cultural Relations between Iran and Kazakhstan". Being a employee of the Cultural Centre of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan from 2000 to 2001, Dr Abedini has published several books in Persian on Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, one of which, entitled "The Cultural Figure of Kazakhstan", was donated to the Centre.

Mr Hamid Jalili, who had travelled to Kazakhstan with a group of lecturers and students from ATU Turkish Language Department, and Mr Javad Tofiqi, who had studied at ENU for one semester, also shared their experiences of staying in Kazakhstan. They also showcased a series of photographs they had taken during their trip to Kazakhstan.

The event aimed at developing cooperation between the two universities and strengthening the ties between Kazakhstan and Iran. Such collaborations will facilitate the mobility of Iranian students wishing to study in Kazakh universities, as well as paving the way for students and young scientists from Kazakhstan to study in Iran.

In the next two months, several events are planned within the framework of the cooperation agreement between the two universities, including webinars and the official opening of the Kazakhstan-Iran Academic and Cultural Centre at ENU in Astana.