INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC AND PRACTICAL CONFERENCE «MODERN CHALLENGES AND TRANSFORMATION OF THE ECONOMY»

On April 23, the Library of the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Elbasy and the Kazakhstan branch of Lomonosov Moscow State University held an online international scientific and practical conference "Modern Challenges and Transformation of the Economy". The event was dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the 20th anniversary of the Kazakhstan branch of MSU.

The conference was attended by state and public figures, leading scientists of Lomonosov Moscow State University and universities of Kazakhstan, authoritative Kazakhstan and Russian researchers and experts in the field of economics and finance, heads of state development institutions.

The participants discussed the state and prospects of development of Kazakhstan and Russia in the context of the transformation of the world economy, in particular: short-term and long-term trends in the development of the two countries' economies; the nature of the impact of the global pandemic on the transformation of the modern economy; the impact of digitalization on the transformation of the modern economy and the direction of its development in Kazakhstan, Russia and the world; the transformation of the modern financial architecture and the specifics of the development of financial markets and institutions. They also discussed the issues of Kazakhstan's chairmanship in the EAEU and the directions of development of the Eurasian economic integration, as well as the Economic School of Moscow University and the training of specialists in the Kazakhstan branch of Moscow State University.

A landmark event of the conference was the address by the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Elbasy N. A. Nazarbayev:
"20 years ago, on my initiative and with the support of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a branch of one of the best universities in the world – Lomonosov Moscow State University was opened in the capital of Kazakhstan.
This significant event was another evidence of friendship and strategic cooperation between our two countries.
Over the years, graduates of the Kazakhstan branch of Lomonosov Moscow State University have made a worthy contribution to the development of sovereign Kazakhstan.
It is deeply symbolic that this anniversary coincided with the 30th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan, thereby reflecting the important role of Moscow State University in strengthening bilateral relations. In 1994, it was from the rostrum of the university that I voiced the idea of the Eurasian Union, which later formed the basis for integration in the post-Soviet space.

I am confident that effective economic cooperation and the deepening of cultural, scientific and educational ties will continue to contribute to the growth of competitiveness and prosperity of our peoples".

– Today we are opening a joint cycle of five scientific and practical conferences in the areas of fundamental sciences, dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the 20th anniversary of the Kazakhstan branch of Lomonosov Moscow State University. As you remember, it was from the high rostrum of Lomonosov Moscow State University that the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Elbasy N. A. Nazarbayev first expressed the conceptual idea of Eurasian integration. At that time, the Eurasian initiative of Elbasy was truly innovative. Not everyone was ready to accept his creative idea. However, the need to quickly overcome the difficulties of growth, integration into the world market and interaction with other international associations proved the inevitability of close economic cooperation", said Bakytzhan Temirbolat, Director of the Library of Elbasy, opening the event, and congratulated the teaching staff and students of the Kazakhstan branch of Moscow State University on the anniversary of the university.

In his speech, Rector of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences Viktor Sadovnichy noted that over the 30 years of its independence, Kazakhstan has achieved great success in creating and developing an independent state.

- Moscow University has always worked closely with Kazakhstan in the field of education and science, setting an example to other countries. The history of the Eurasian space and, of course, the history of Moscow University includes the historic speech of N. A. Nazarbayev at Moscow State University, in which he proclaimed the idea of creating the Eurasian Union of States. Another step that reflects our special, good and close relations is the opening 20 years ago of the Kazakhstan branch of Moscow State University, which is the first foreign branch of Moscow University, established at the initiative of the head of state. Over these 20 years, the branch has become a prestigious and respected educational institution in Kazakhstan, with more than 2,000 graduates. I am sure that the branch will continue to develop the glorious traditions of Moscow University in Kazakhstan. I would like to emphasize another significant event in our relations - the signing of an Agreement between the Governments of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan on the functioning of the Kazakhstan branch of MSU. President of Kazakhstan K. K.  Tokayev, at our meeting in November 2019, supported our cooperation and the development of the branch", he said, expressing confidence that the conference will make a great contribution to the development of the entire Eurasian space and will contribute to the development of constructive proposals and new ideas.

Chairman of the Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kairat Kelimbetov made a report on "The role of the Astana International Financial Center in the implementation of the strategic vision of Elbasy, consistent with the UN Sustainable Development Goals".

– The current pandemic crisis and the protracted recovery from it have become a huge challenge for the whole world. It is interesting that today it has even become convenient for economists to measure different periods from crisis to crisis. You all remember well the Asian crisis of the late 90s, the Hong Kong crisis of the early 2000s, the financial crisis of 2008, the current so-called coronavirus crisis. Each of these crises, including the current one, accelerated the existing global trends and created new markets and opportunities for development. Over the past ten years, many international experts have been talking about different trends. I would like to mention a few of them that are important for our economies today. The first is the decline of globalization, regional integration, and the creation of regional unions. The second is the development of technologies, digitalization and automation of business processes. The third trend is the creation of new energy and the fourth is a change in investor preferences, including generational changes", he said.

- 30 years ago, Kazakhstan became a sovereign and independent state. The Russian Federation was one of the first countries to recognize its independence and sovereignty. This opened a new page in relations between our peoples and brought them to the interstate level. It is gratifying to note that our relations have now acquired an allied character, and we have become genuine integration partners. This year we also celebrate the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Kazakhstan branch of Lomonosov Moscow State University. This is a significant event in the history of relations between our states. In this regard, I would like to express special gratitude to the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Elbasy N. A. Nazarbayev, on whose initiative the branch was established. ... Russia and Kazakhstan have similar problems and ways to overcome them. Under the leadership of the President of Kazakhstan, K. K. Tokayev, a program of post-pandemic development of the Kazakhstan economy is being developed. I hope that the recommendations that will be formulated at the end of today's conference will be useful for both Kazakhstan and Russia", said Alexey Borodavkin, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Alexander Nekipelov, Director of the Moscow School of Economics, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, made a report on "The pandemic as a reason for rethinking some strategic policies and measures of economic policy". The topic of the speech of the First Vice-Minister of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan Timur Zhaksylykov was "Prospects for the development of the Kazakhstan economy in the conditions and after the global pandemic". The role of international economic institutions in the formation of the world order was discussed in the report by Head of the Department of State Policy of Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov, co-Chair of the All-Russian public organization "Russian Society of Political Scientists" Vladimir Yakunin. The conference also included presentations by Alexander Sidorovich, Director of the Kazakhstan Branch of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Rector of the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Erlan Abil, Dean of the Faculty of Economics of Lomonosov Moscow State University, Chairman of the Public Council under the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, Scientific Director of the Institute of National Projects Alexander Auzan, Director of the Center for Applied Research "TALAP", member of the National Council of Public Trust under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Rahim Oshakbayev and others.