Step into our Yurt and join us for a monthly conversation on Europe-Central Asia developments. In these series of podcasts EUCAM welcomes guests from both regions to discuss exciting new research and the latest developments in Europe and Central Asia. Guests range from academics to policymakers and from journalists to civil society activists. What is happening in Europe that Central Asians should know about? What events are unfolding in Central Asia that Europeans should understand? Together, we discuss society trends, political developments, and economic turns while assessing the past and looking ahead to what may unfold.

In the third episode we welcome two EUCAM associate researchers, Dr. Fabienne Bossuyt and Nafisa Hasanova and together we place Uzbekistan in the spotlight, covering domestic, regional and foreign policy issues.

A Chat In The Yurt - Episode III: Uzbekistan Focus

Step into our Yurt and join us for a monthly conversation on Europe-Central Asia developments. In these series of podcasts EUCAM welcomes guests from both regions to discuss exciting new research and the latest developments in Europe and Central Asia. Guests range from academics to policymakers and from journalists to civil society activists. What is happening in Europe that Central Asians should know about? What events are unfolding in Central Asia that Europeans should understand? Together, we discuss society trends, political developments, and economic turns while assessing the past and looking ahead to what may unfold.

In the fourteenth episode Rashid Gabdulhakov and Kamila Smagulova are joined by Costas Politis, Chairman of the Greek Cultural Center in Tashkent, in a discussion focused on the Greek diaspora in Uzbekistan.

A Chat in the Yurt - Episode XIV: Greek Diaspora in Uzbekistan

Step into our Yurt and join us for a monthly conversation on Europe-Central Asia developments. In these series of podcasts EUCAM welcomes guests from both regions to discuss exciting new research and the latest developments in Europe and Central Asia. Guests range from academics to policymakers and from journalists to civil society activists. What is happening in Europe that Central Asians should know about? What events are unfolding in Central Asia that Europeans should understand? Together, we discuss society trends, political developments, and economic turns while assessing the past and looking ahead to what may unfold.

In the fifteenth episode hosts Rashid Gabdulhakov and Kamila Smagulova meet with director Kasiet Ysmanova and research fellow Albina Yun of Central Asia Barometer to discuss their recent report on How to support survivors of domestic violence in rural Kyrgyzstan better?

A Chat in the Yurt - Episode XV: Violence at home ͏‌

Step into our Yurt and join us for a monthly conversation on Europe-Central Asia developments. In these series of podcasts EUCAM welcomes guests from both regions to discuss exciting new research and the latest developments in Europe and Central Asia. Guests range from academics to policymakers and from journalists to civil society activists. What is happening in Europe that Central Asians should know about? What events are unfolding in Central Asia that Europeans should understand? Together, we discuss society trends, political developments, and economic turns while assessing the past and looking ahead to what may unfold.

In this episode hosts Rashid Gabdulhakov and Kamila Smagulova meet with Bakhytzhan Kurmanov (Research Fellow at the Institute of Public Policy and Administration, University of Central Asia in Kyrgyzstan) and Colin Knox (Emeritus Professor Ulster University (UK) and Adjunct Professor at Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan) for a discussion on digital activism and authoritarian legitimation in Central Asia.

A Chat in the Yurt - Episode XVI: Digital Activism

Step into our Yurt and join us for a monthly conversation on Europe-Central Asia developments. In these series of podcasts EUCAM welcomes guests from both regions to discuss exciting new research and the latest developments in Europe and Central Asia. Guests range from academics to policymakers and from journalists to civil society activists. What is happening in Europe that Central Asians should know about? What events are unfolding in Central Asia that Europeans should understand? Together, we discuss society trends, political developments, and economic turns while assessing the past and looking ahead to what may unfold.

In this episode hosts Rashid Gabdulhakov and Kamila Smagulova meet with Laylo Merali, a cybersecurity specialist from Central Asia, currently based in Geneva and Anouk Vos who is the founder of Rotterdam-based Revnext -  a consulting firm focused on high-tech issues. The discussion revolved around the cyber security landscape in Central Asia and the challenges the countries face.

A Chat in the Yurt - Episode XVII: Cyber Security

Step into our Yurt and join us for a monthly conversation on Europe-Central Asia developments. In these series of podcasts EUCAM welcomes guests from both regions to discuss exciting new research and the latest developments in Europe and Central Asia. Guests range from academics to policymakers and from journalists to civil society activists. What is happening in Europe that Central Asians should know about? What events are unfolding in Central Asia that Europeans should understand? Together, we discuss society trends, political developments, and economic turns while assessing the past and looking ahead to what may unfold.

In this episode, host Rashid Gabdulhakov interviews Kamila Smagulova who is a PhD candidate at Leiden University (and normally co-host of this podcast) and Jos Boonstra, EUCAM coordinator at CESS to discuss the EUCAM policy brief European Development Cooperation with Central Asia: From abstract to concrete. In the chat the ins and outs of EU development cooperation with Central Asia are discussed from ‘budget support’ to ‘blending and guarantees’ and a case is made for increased civil society attention to issues that the EU and Central Asia increasingly cooperate on; digitalisation and energy transition. Kamila and Jos present a few of their eight recommendations to make development cooperation focused on human interaction with long-term impacts on cooperation between both regions.

A Chat in the Yurt - Episode XVIII: EU development cooperation

Step into our Yurt and join us for a monthly conversation on Europe-Central Asia developments. In these series of podcasts EUCAM welcomes guests from both regions to discuss exciting new research and the latest developments in Europe and Central Asia. Guests range from academics to policymakers and from journalists to civil society activists. What is happening in Europe that Central Asians should know about? What events are unfolding in Central Asia that Europeans should understand? Together, we discuss society trends, political developments, and economic turns while assessing the past and looking ahead to what may unfold.

In this episode, hosts Rashid Gabdulhakov and Kamila Smagulova meet with Niels Drost who is a
research fellow at the Russia and Eastern Europe Centre of Clingendael. He is also one of the coordinators of the REKA network that aims to bring Dutch research communities together withpolicymakers over developments in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The other guest is Jos Boonstra, EUCAM coordinator and senior researcher at CESS. Clingendael and CESS each
published a paper on Europe-Central Asia relations. Clingendael’ s study Central Asia emerging from the shadows outlines Central Asia’s geopolitical landscape and EU-Central Asia relations while the EUCAM policy brief EU-Central Asia connectivity: Using all the pieces discusses the increased European and Central Asian focus on connectivity in building energy, transport and data connections.

A Chat in the Yurt - Episode XIX: Connectivity

Step into our Yurt and join us for a monthly conversation on Europe-Central Asia developments. In these series of podcasts EUCAM welcomes guests from both regions to discuss exciting new research and the latest developments in Europe and Central Asia. Guests range from academics to policymakers and from journalists to civil society activists. What is happening in Europe that Central Asians should know about? What events are unfolding in Central Asia that Europeans should understand? Together, we discuss society trends, political developments, and economic turns while assessing the past and looking ahead to what may unfold.

In this episode, hosts Yelena Kilina and Kamila Smagulova meet with Sofya Du-Boulay, visiting fellow at the University of Sussex and senior lecturer at Alo-Too International University and Alesia Rudnik who is a PhD candidate in political science at Karlstad University and director of the Center for New Ideas. Together they discuss a recent ‘special issue’ on ‘political succession and legitimation in post-Soviet Eurasia’ that looks into the cases of Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Belarus. The guests assess parallels and differences between the cases of Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. The discussion ranges from the increased online presence of the regimes to their relationships with the European Union.

A Chat in the Yurt - Episode XX: Succession and legitimacy

Step into our Yurt and join us for a monthly conversation on Europe-Central Asia developments. In these series of podcasts EUCAM welcomes guests from both regions to discuss exciting new research and the latest developments in Europe and Central Asia. Guests range from academics to policymakers and from journalists to civil society activists. What is happening in Europe that Central Asians should know about? What events are unfolding in Central Asia that Europeans should understand? Together, we discuss society trends, political developments, and economic turns while assessing the past and looking ahead to what may unfold.

In this episode, hosts Rashid Gabdulhakov and Kamila Smagulova are back in the classroom with Pal Dunay, director of the OSCE Academy in Bishkek, to discuss education in Central Asia. We learn about the OSCE Academy and the role it plays in educating talented youth from Central Asia and we hear about the OSCE Academy's research focus. Hosts and guest discuss the link between education and dialogue between people, groups and countries.

A Chat in the Yurt - Episode XXI: Education and Dialogue

Step into our Yurt and join us for a monthly conversation on Europe-Central Asia developments. In these series of podcasts EUCAM welcomes guests from both regions to discuss exciting new research and the latest developments in Europe and Central Asia. Guests range from academics to policymakers and from journalists to civil society activists. What is happening in Europe that Central Asians should know about? What events are unfolding in Central Asia that Europeans should understand? Together, we discuss society trends, political developments, and economic turns while assessing the past and looking ahead to what may unfold.

In this episode, hosts Rashid Gabdulhakov and Yelena Kilina meet with Dina Sharipova (Associate Professor at Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan) and Alma Kudebayeva (Associate Professor at KIMEP University, Kazakhstan) to discuss ‘Changing Well-Being in Central Asia: Evidence from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan’. Comparing Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, but also Uzbekistan, the conversation explores subjective well-being or how people evaluate their lives across economic, social, political and cognitive dimensions. One key aspect is the perception of the level of freedom, which often differs from the actual state of freedom. The idea of 'a good life' that was a hot topic some years ago in EU-Central Asia relations is also considered in the chat as well as the policy implications of the concept of subjective well-being.

A Chat in the Yurt - Episode XXII: Subjective well-being

Step into our Yurt and join us for a monthly conversation on Europe-Central Asia developments. In these series of podcasts EUCAM welcomes guests from both regions to discuss exciting new research and the latest developments in Europe and Central Asia. Guests range from academics to policymakers and from journalists to civil society activists. What is happening in Europe that Central Asians should know about? What events are unfolding in Central Asia that Europeans should understand? Together, we discuss society trends, political developments, and economic turns while assessing the past and looking ahead to what may unfold.

In this episode, hosts Rashid Gabdulhakov and Yelena Kilina meet with Douwe van der Meer who is an independent researcher focusing on energy, climate, water and security issues in Central Asia and the South Caucasus and with Julian Postulart who specializes on the South Caucasus and Central Asia, with a background in regional geopolitics, memory and identity politics, and military and security affairs. Together they published Receding Waters, Rising Challenges: Navigating the Caspian Sea’s Geopolitical Moment. The podcasts discusses what is happening in the Caspian ecology, focussing on concerns over the Sea’s water level. At a time when the Caspian features in geopolitical calculations of littoral states and European Union corridor plans, it should be imperative to avoid an Aral Sea scenario that would negatively affect all stakeholders. 

A Chat in the Yurt - Episode XXIII: The Caspian Sea

Established in 2008 by FRIDE as a project seeking to monitor the implementation of the EU Strategy for Central Asia, EUCAM has grown into a knowledge hub on broader Europe-Central Asia relations. With CESS guidance and cooperation EUCAM will seek to continue to raise the profile of European-Central Asian relations in general, and more specifically to:

- Critically, though constructively, scrutinize European policies towards Central Asia;
- Enhance knowledge of European engagement with Central Asia through top-quality research;
- Raise awareness of the importance of Central Asia and Europe’s engagement, as well as discuss European policies among Central Asian communities;
- Expand the network of experts and institutions from Europe and Central Asia and provide a forum for debate.