From December 1 to 8, Odil Gafarov, Deputy Director of the Institute for Advanced International Studies (IAIS) at the University of World Economy and Diplomacy (UWED), and Mushtariy Usmonova, a Leading Research Fellow at the IAIS’s Center for European Studies, visited France, the Netherlands, and Belgium to strengthen professional contacts and develop cooperation with leading European research institutes, think tanks, and universities. In particular, substantive consultations were held with expert platforms in Paris on December 1-2.

With the assistance of the Embassy of the Republic of Uzbekistan in Paris, a meeting was held with Professor Catherine Poujol from the National Institute of Oriental Languages and Civilizations (INALCO), who also represents the Center for European-Eurasian Studies (CREE INALCO).

In addition, IAIS representatives met with Ondrej Dietrich, Senior Analyst at the European Union Institute for Security Studies (EUISS); and held a substantive meeting with experts from the Jacques Delors Institute: Andreas Eisl, senior researcher on European economic policy, and Benjamin Couteau, researcher on the Western Balkans, Türkiye, and EU enlargement.

Meetings were also held with representatives of the Institut Montaigne, in particular Executive Director Marie-Pierre de Bailliencourt, Special Advisor Michel Duclos, Director of International Partnerships Mathieu Duchâtel, and Professor Stéphane Dudoignon, Research Fellow at the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).

During the talks, expert assessments were presented on the geopolitical architecture of Eurasia, the EU’s external and internal priorities, and the dynamics and prospects of EU-Central Asia relations. The parties also agreed to maintain contact for substantive discussions on the prospects for expert exchanges and the launch of joint events and research projects.