Deputy Director of the OSCE Academy Took Part in the International Conference in Italy

On 19 June 2025, Dr. Shairbek Dzhuraev, Deputy Director of the OSCE Academy, took part in the international conference “Of Bridges and Nexuses: Italy–Central Asia Cooperation towards a Sustainable Future,” held at Ca’ Foscari University in Venice, Italy. The event was organized by Professor Carlo Frappi, from Ca’ Foscari University, and Professor Filippo Costa Buranelli, from the University of St Andrews, with the support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation (MAECI).

The event was opened by Plenipotentiary Minister Federico Failla, MAECI, and brought together leading voices from diplomacy, academia, and policy to foster deeper ties between Italy and Central Asia.

Dr. Dzhuraev delivered a presentation titled “The Middle Corridor and Central Asia: Promise, Challenges, and Paths Forward.” He argued that the Middle Corridor — spanning China, Central Asia, the Caspian Sea, and onward to Europe — is more than a logistics route: it is a litmus test for Central Asia’s emerging strategic agency. Dr. Dzhuraev laid out how the corridor offers Central Asia a rare window to diversify partnerships, enhance trade sovereignty, and move from being a “pass-through” region to a critical element of transcontinental connectivity.

However, as Dr. Dzhuraev emphasized, seizing this opportunity requires more than infrastructure. It demands political will, trust-building, and investment in what he termed “soft infrastructure”: institutional coordination, customs harmonization, and knowledge networks. He called on partners like Italy to go beyond diplomacy and co-invest in academic exchange, policy dialogue, and joint capacity-building—areas where the OSCE Academy is already playing a catalytic role.

As Central Asia redefines its global relevance, the OSCE Academy stands ready to advance the regional conversation through high-quality education, impactful research, and active international engagement.

Photo credit to: International Institute for Central Asian Studies- IICAS

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