On 9 July 2012 the NATO Defense College hosted a roundtable on “Central Asia after NATO Troop Withdrawal”, jointly organized by the College and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Tashkent. The aim of the roundtable was to analyze and discuss the current role of NATO in Central Asia and the political ambitions of the Alliance in a changing strategic context following 2014.
The day’s activities started with welcoming remarks by NDC Commandant Lt Gen Arne Bård Dalhaug and by the Director of the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Tashkent, Mr Thomas Kunze. During the course of the day the main topics discussed were: “NATO and the Partners in Central Asia”, “The New Great Game – Who is Keeping the Score?”, “Afghan Issues”, and “The Way Ahead”. Each session was facilitated by a moderator and followed by one hour of open discussion, fostering dialogue and exchanges of perspective between all participants. Such an arrangement afforded differing viewpoints on a number of very relevant issues.
This thought-provoking roundtable was attended by 32 representatives from NATO HQ, and from academic institutions in Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan.
Those attending agreed that the exchange of views and ideas between distinguished experts had contributed to a better understanding of the regional security environment, the future challenges, and how to deal with them effectively.
A report of the event will be disseminated to NATO bodies, and published as a NATO Defense College Research Paper.
NDC Public Affairs Office
(Prepared by Ms Iliana Panayotova, BGR C)
Collège de Défense de l'OTAN