On 20 – 25 of March a group of Masters students, studying the Central Asian region, visited the OSCE Academy in Bishkek. They were accompanied by Professor Rick Fawn, Director of the Institute of Middle East, Central Asia and Caucasus Studies (MECACS), and Dr. Matteo Fumagalli, Senior Lecturer, School of International Relations from the University of St Andrews. It was the 7th visit to Kyrgyzstan in the framework of cooperation between OSCE Academy and University of St Andrews initiated by Professor Frederick Fawn.
On the first day, students of the OSCE Academy and the University of St Andrews conducted a joint Role Play on the establishment of a new regional organization comprising the Central Asian republics and Afghanistan. On that same day all students participated in the Nooruz celebration at the OSCE Academy, exploring the cultural diversity of the region, its traditions and variety of food.
Further in the week, a number of other joined academic and social events were held, among others the presentation on "Post-Soviet Foreign Policy and Conflicts (Kyrgyzstan and Georgia and Moldova)" by Dr. Nina Lutterjohann, University of Bielefeld, Germany, and Mr. Shairbek Juraev, Marie Curie Fellow at the University of St Andrews as well as a visit to the Burana Tower - a large minaret in the Chuy Valley in northern Kyrgyzstan forming part of the last remnants of the ancient city of Balasagun.