On April 26, a group of leading students from the University of World Economy and Diplomacy (UWED) visited the International Institute for Central Asia (IICA), and familiarized with its museum and library.
Welcoming the young guests, IICA Director J. Vakhobov elaborated on the Institute’s activities, which was established in 2021 upon the personal initiative of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev with the aim of providing informational and analytical support for Uzbekistan’s main foreign policy priority - establishing good neighborliness and mutual trust in the Central Asia region.
It was noted that, based on this, over a short period, IICA has evolved into a platform for expert discussions on the prospects of regional cooperation, developing specific and scientifically grounded proposals for multilateral projects in trade, transportation, energy, water, environmental, humanitarian, and security sectors.
To the delight of future diplomats, the visit to IICA turned out to be a very instructive and useful experience exchange. Thus, Director J. Vakhobov organized a separate meeting for them with leading scientific staff and experts of IICA, many of whom were distinguished veterans of Uzbek diplomacy, who had previously headed Uzbekistan’s diplomatic missions in various countries around the world.
During an open and lively discussion, students learned a lot of useful information about the specifics of diplomatic service, nuances of establishing interstate relations, as well as modern requirements and peculiarities in preparing future diplomats.
An important topic of interested discussion also became the current state and prospects of regional cooperation within Central Asia, including mechanisms for practical cooperation among states within the multilateral cooperation format “CA+.”
Responding to students’ questions, Institute experts with extensive diplomatic experience provided them with a kind of analytical excursion on current issues of sustainable development, regional interconnectedness, and security in Central Asia, sharing their assessments and perspectives.
Overall, the visit to IICA by UWED students, which became an important step in developing dialogue between educational institutions and the expert community, largely helped future diplomats to compare their theoretical knowledge with practical experience, undoubtedly providing them with clearer guidelines for preparing for their future profession.
In this regard, there was an expressed interest in continuing similar meeting formats on a regular basis.
