Azernews.Az

The UK has taken a significant step toward deepening its engagement with one of the world’s most strategically important regions, as the Eurasia Policy Council (EPC), an independent, non-partisan think tank focused on the geopolitics, economics and environmental security of Central Asia and the wider Eurasian space, was officially launched at the House of Lords, Azernews reports.

Hosted by Lord Qurban Hussain, the high-profile ceremony brought together an audience of senior British politicians, members of both Houses of Parliament, former diplomats, experts from Oxford, SOAS and King’s College London, executives from the energy and infrastructure sectors, international NGOs, and national media representatives.

The event was marked by an unprecedented level of regional participation, with official delegations and senior figures from Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Iran attending — underscoring the EPC’s ambition to become a bridge between London, Brussels and the rapidly evolving states of Eurasia.

In his opening remarks, Lord Hussain emphasized the timeliness of the initiative amid rising geopolitical tensions and climate challenges.
“Eurasia stands at the crossroads of the world’s most acute challenges – great-power competition, economic instability and the existential threat of climate change,” he said.
“The Eurasia Policy Council offers the neutral, expert-led space required to address these complexities with intellectual rigour, dignity and a shared commitment to peace.”

Afzal Khan MP, a long-time advocate of closer UK–Central Asia ties, called the launch “both timely and essential.”
“At a moment when multilateral institutions are under strain, the EPC will help Britain and Europe forge deeper, more resilient relationships with a region indispensable for energy security, critical minerals and the future of the rules-based order,” he said.

Salman Sheikh, a leading strategist on Eurasian and Middle Eastern affairs, highlighted the growing economic potential of the region.
“Eurasia is emerging as a hub for green energy, rare-earth elements and new transport corridors. The EPC will promote evidence-based partnerships that deliver inclusive growth rather than zero-sum competition.”

Addressing environmental risks, climate-security expert Dr Robert Hamilton warned that ecological pressures are becoming major destabilizing forces.
“By placing climate resilience at the heart of its agenda, the EPC is showing both courage and foresight,” he said, pointing to water scarcity in the Amu Darya and Syr Darya basins, glacial retreat in the Tian Shan and Pamir mountains, and the disruptive pace of the global energy transition.

The EPC outlined four core pillars of its mission:

• Rigorous, peer-reviewed research on geopolitical and economic developments

• High-level diplomatic and Track-1.5 dialogue between the UK, EU and Eurasian states

• Promotion of sustainable investment and green technology transfer

• Building climate resilience, with a focus on water management, renewable energy and disaster-risk reduction

Closing the event, EPC Co-Founders Raza Syed and Prof. Shabnam Delfani stated:
“This launch marks the start of a sustained British and European commitment to engage with Eurasia not as a distant periphery, but as an indispensable partner in tackling shared global challenges.”

The EPC’s first flagship report — dedicated to water security and regional governance in Central Asia — will be published in spring 2026, followed by its inaugural annual conference in London next autumn.

As competition intensifies from the Black Sea to China’s western frontier and climate pressures reshape economies across the region, the newly established Eurasia Policy Council positions itself as a key actor in Britain’s foreign-policy landscape, advancing independent analysis and trusted dialogue at a critical moment.