The Department of Political Science at ENU hosted an academic seminar on Kazakhstan’s cooperation with SCO member states

On October 1, 2026, the Department of Political Science at L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (ENU UAC, Room No.319) hosted an academic seminar dedicated to discussing the dissertation research of PhD candidate K.M. Batyrbayev in the specialty “8D03106 – Political Science.” 

Research topic: “Kazakhstan’s Cooperation with SCO Countries in the Context of Regional Security” (advisor: Y.L. Nechayeva, Ph.D. in Political Science, Professor). 

At the beginning of the event, D.S. Primbetov, PhD, Head of the Department of Political Science, delivered a welcoming address. The seminar was attended by faculty members, PhD candidates, master’s students, and researchers in the field of international relations and political science. 

The special guest was the foreign academic advisor to the researcher, Professor Qiang Xiaoyun – director of the Russian-Central Asian Studies Center at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies (SIIS). 

During his presentation, PhD student K.Batyrbayev presented the key findings of his research. This study presents a comprehensive political science analysis of Kazakhstan’s foreign policy within the framework of the SCO, examines the institutional evolution of the organization, and proposes a conceptual model of strategic hedging that explains the country’s participation in various multilateral regional security structures (SCO, CSTO, EAEU, CSTO).

The report devotes particular attention to the empirical basis of the study. The author drew on the results of an in-depth expert survey of 28 specialists in foreign policy and regional security, as well as a large-scale sociological survey involving 1,000 respondents across all regions of Kazakhstan. The paper analyzes the institutional mechanisms of the SCO (including the activities of the Regional Anti-Terrorism Structure), the challenges facing integration processes after 2022, and possible scenarios for the further development of cooperation.

The presentation sparked keen interest and lively discussion among the seminar participants. Attendees discussed the theoretical and methodological framework of the study, the practical value of the findings, and issues related to the validation of the results.

Following the working discussion, the seminar participants noted the high quality of the dissertation research, its relevance, and its scientific novelty, and offered valuable recommendations for the next stages of the defense.