EURUS Director Jeff Sahadeo gives Ms. Roza Otunbayeva a gift while Kyrgyz Ambassador Muktar Djumaliev looks on following a roundtable discussion in the EURUS boardroom.
On May 28, EURUS Director Jeff Sahadeo and several of his students attended a lecture by former President of the Kyrgyz Republic Roza Otunbayeva, held at the Global Centre for Pluralism. Ms. Otunbayeva became the interim president of the Kyrgyz Republic and Central Asia’s first female head of state in April 2010 after a popular uprising in her country. Under her leadership, the country drafted a new constitution, established a parliamentary system of governance and introduced fair elections, setting an important democratic precedent for the region. For these great accomplishments, Ms. Otunbayeva was awarded the US State Department International Women of Courage award by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. On May 29th, EURUS had the pleasure of hosting a small gathering of professors, NGO representatives, the Kyrgyz delegation, and students for a roundtable discussion with Ms. Otunbayeva. It was an honour to have her come and address some of the challenges and the opportunities both in Kyrgyzstan and Central Asia.