On June 24, 2016 Erlan Sydykov, rector of L.N.Gumilyov Eurasian National University was elected President of Association of Asian Universities during the general meeting of Association at Altai State University in Barnaul. Earlier, this position was held by Sergey Zemlyukov, rector of Altai State University. 

An initiator of creating Association was Altai State University. We discussed the issue with national Universities of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Northeastern University of China and adopted the decision and other 29 universities supported the idea. 

 Association of Asian Universities is a voluntary association of universities in the Asian Region established in 2012 on the basis of trust and mutual respect in order to improve the efficiency of higher education system of Asian Region, introduction of advanced educational experience, achievement of cooperation effect in the framework of international educational community, expansion of cooperation and partnership between educational institutions of the Asian Region. A meeting of the Association is held every two years. 

Members and founders of the Association are 36 higher educational institutions from 8 countries: Armenia, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Russia, Tajikistan and Thailand. 11 Universities-founders including L.N.Gumilyov Eurasian National University which became a member of the Association in 2014 represent Kazakhstan in this community. It is worth noting that participating countries are very satisfied with the work of the Association. 

Rector of Heilongjiang Institute of Foreign Languages Liu Ying:

 — I have the honor to participate in the Association of Asian Universities. 52 students were sent to our Institute of Foreign Languages and they are satisfied with the training and life at University. In turn, our students like to study in universities of the host party. 

 After announcement of voting results, Erlan Battashevich was awarded a chronicle of the Association of Asian Universities as a symbol passing from one President to another. 

 Speaking as a new President of the Association, rector of ENU noted that a unified world educational space was forming today and inter-state educational space has been increasingly influencing on state of international relations, defining main directions of development in the conditions of cyclical economic crises and new parameters of global interactions. 

 -L.N.Gumilyov Eurasian National University is actively involved in the process through participation in various educational consortiums and associations. 

 It is necessary to expand the scope of cooperation in the framework of the Association due to geopolitical importance of the region. It is required to establish and develop relations with leading universities of CIS, China, South Korea, Japan, Singapore and other countries. 

 The newly elected President of the Association Erlan Sydykov put forward following proposals: 

 1.Attracting leading universities from Eastern and South-East Asia to the Association, thereby expanding borders of Asian cooperation concept in the project, which will allow to consolidate common educational space further and to compete with our Western colleagues;

2. Holding exhibitions of innovative technologies products with the participation of above-mentioned countries, as their experience and technology will help us in transformation into innovative, business, research universities. Due to the trends on education market, science and technology will help us to reach a competent environment in the world;

 3. The establishment of international accreditation agency to improve quality in teaching and learning, development of internalization and integration of higher education system and creation of Quality Mark of Asia countries in Asia 1 time in 2 years. 

4. The revival of a scientific edition «Vestnik» with a high impact-factor. Thus, the election of President of the Association of Asian Universities in the year of the 20th anniversary of L.N.Gumilyov Eurasian National University rector Erlan Sydykov is another fact of recognition of University on international level. 

 By Altynbek KUMYRZAKULY, Malika MURSALIMOVA