Programme eng pantone indd

ASTANA ECONOMIC FORUM

www.forum-astana.org

ASTANA ECONOMIC FORUM

www.forum-astana.org

44

26 May

09:00-12:15

Palace of 

Independence, 

Congress Hall 2, 

1 floor

SILK ROAD COUNTRIES` FORUM: ENERGY, RESOURCES AND 

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Organized by:

Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan;

JSC “Economic Research Institute”

Boao Forum for Asia

Key questions:

• 

What can be done to connect Eurasian countries in terms of infrastructure?

• 

In terms of “soft” infrastructure (customs clearance, concerted transportation arrangements, etc.), what has 

been done in connectivity and what can be done from now?

• 

How can Eurasian countries work together in getting their economies digitalized?

09:00-10:30

Session 1. Europe-Asia Infrastructure Connectivity

Moderator: 

Grigory Rubin, Partner and Managing Director, The Boston Consulting Group

Speakers:

Askar Mamin, President, Kazakhstan Temir Zholy

Joachim von Amsberg, Vice President, Policy and Strategy, Asian Infrastructure 

Investment Bank

H.M. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO, Dubai Port World 

Taleh Ziyadov, Director-General, Baku International Sea Trade Port

Kaido Zimmermann, Director, Railways Logistics, Latvian Railways

Nataliya Khanjenkova, Managing Director for Turkey and Central Asia, EBRD

Liu Yuting, Vice Minister, State Administration For Industry and Commerce, 

People’s Republic of China

Li Changjin, Chairman, China Railway Engineering Corporation

Michael Christidis, Secretary General, Organization of the Black Sea Economic 

Cooperation

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ASTANA ECONOMIC FORUM

www.forum-astana.org

ASTANA ECONOMIC FORUM

www.forum-astana.org

45

10:45-12:15

Session 2. Europe-Asia Economic Cooperation and Trade

Key questions:

• 

Financial cooperation between Eurasian countries is still in its infancy. Much can be done in terms of currency 

swap, mutual opening of financial markets, trade settlements in local currency.

• 

To what extent are these economies mutually complimentary? Where can they cooperate?

• 

The role of SMEs in economic cooperation and trade.

Moderator: 

Agris Preimanis, Lead Economist for Central Asia, EBRD

Speakers:

Zhang Xiaoqiang, Vice-Minister, NDRC China (2003-2014)

Cheng Fude, CFO, China Datang Corporation

Han Wenke, Director General, Energy Research Institute, NDRC, China

Denis Boroditsch, Chair, Committee of the Transit and the logistics of Estonian 

Parliament, MP

Evgeny Vinokurov, Director, Centre for Integration Studies, Eurasian 

Development Bank 

Lu Zushan, Vice Chairman, NPC Financial and Economic Committee, China

Ariel Cohen,  Director of The Center for Energy, Natural Resources and 

Geopolitics at the Institute for Analysis of Global Security 

Yerzhan Tutkushev, Co-Managing Director: Development of New Industries, 

Samruk-Kazyna

Erhat Iskaliev, Member of the Trustee Board of International Institute of 

Logistics and Business “Silk Way”, Member of the Board of Directors of PJSC 

“TransContainer”, Member of Presidium of Transport workers union of Kazakhstan 

“KAZLOGISTICS”

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ASTANA ECONOMIC FORUM

www.forum-astana.org

ASTANA ECONOMIC FORUM

www.forum-astana.org

46

26 May

09:00-12:15

Palace of 

Independence, 

The Economist  

Hall,

2 floor

REGIONAL THINK TANK SUMMIT

Organized by: 

JSC “Economic Research Institute”;

University of Pennsylvania.

Key questions:

• 

What strategies decision makers of the region can use to overcome the challenge of low commodity prices 

and weak growth in trading partners?

• 

What is the appropriate policy response for the regional decision makers to navigate in the geopolitical 

standoff between the West and Russia?

• 

Lessons learned and success stories from advising the decision makers over the past decade. Can we 

develop common solutions for the regional problems? 

09:00-09:05

09:05-09:30

09:30-10:30

Opening remarks

Aset Irgaliyev, Chairman of the Board of JSC “Economic Research Institute”

Keynote Address: Global and Regional Trends in Think Tanks and Policy 

Advice: Rise of Think Tanks in Central Asia

Speaker:

James G. McGann, Senior Lecturer, Lauder Institute,  Wharton Business School 

at University of Pennsylvania

Panel Session: Building capacity of regional think tanks and networking

Moderator: 

James G. McGann, Senior Lecturer, Lauder Institute,  Wharton Business School 

at University of Pennsylvania

Speakers:

Naoyuki Youshino, Dean of the Asian Development Bank Institute 

Erik Berglof, Director, Institute for Global Affairs, London School of Economics 

and Political Science

Ariel Cohen,  Director of The Center for Energy, Natural Resources and 

Geopolitics at the Institute for Analysis of Global Security 

Richard Dobbs, Director, McKinsey Global Institute 

Jessica Brandt, Deputy Chief of Staff and Associated Fellow at Brookings 

Institution

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