Central Asia brought closer by the Observatory on Central Asia (OAC), set up by Casa Asia, the CIDOB Foundation and the Royal Elcano Institute
The CIDOB Foundation organises a meeting of experts to establish a joint work plan on governance, regionalism and relations with the EU.
The three institutions that produce the Asia-Pacific Yearbook have once again joined forces to create the Observatory on Central Asia (OAC), which will have a virtual platform that will come into operation in autumn 2008. Designed with the aim of fostering rapprochement between Central Asia and Spain through the political, economic and academic spheres, the OAC will be an informational reference portal on Central Asia in Spain, as well as being a permanent framework for research, debate and specialisation on the region. Within the context of this initiative, the CIDOB Foundation's Asia Programme hosted a meeting of experts to lay the foundations for a work plan on internal political processes, the dynamics of regional cooperation and relations between the EU and Spain with the region in question.
In this latter area, Kazakhstan's future presidency of the OSCE and Spain's presidency of the EU – both scheduled for 2010 – seemed to be an opportune moment to analyse the respective agendas and to initiate a specific dialogue. With respect to relations with Europe, it was also considered necessary to carry out a more systematic approach to the policies on Central Asia developed by the EU Member States that have interests in the region.
As for internal political dynamics, priority themes of study were identified, such as the political role of Islam in the region, elites, systems of government, informal power channels and inter-ethnic coexistence. With respect to issues of a regional scope, particular attention was paid to the management of water resources, though other subjects of interest were also identified, such as migrations, infrastructures, the environment and drug trafficking.
The CIDOB Foundation, through its programming on Central Asia that commenced in 2005, aims to contribute to the objectives of the OAC by organising debate workshops and international seminars and producing publications, as well as by promoting specialisation on the subject of Central Asia and making analytical resources available to policy-makers, entrepreneurs and academics interested in the region. In all, the OAC will represent a place for discussion, for meeting and for the creation of synergies between all Spanish citizens and institutions interested in the region, and will also be in contact with the main European and international networks working on Central Asia.