Consuls General on International Security and the Path to Peace

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Recent events have highlighted vulnerabilities of the free and open International order. With new global issues on the horizon spanning from cybersecurity to supply chains, nations have to search for new solutions both domestically and beyond their borders.

Join Asia Society Northern California on Wednesday, March 22 to hear from four San Francisco-based Consuls General from Georgia, Japan, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine on how their nations are approaching international security and what peace looks like in their respective countries. This program will be in-person and take place from 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Pacific in San Francisco.

The panel discussion will be immediately followed by a cultural reception with food and drink from the various countries from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Pacific.

Confirmed speakers for this program include:

• Gloria Duffy (moderator), CEO of The Commonwealth Club of California
• Levan Beridze, Consul General of Georgia to San Francisco
• Yasushi Noguchi, Consul General of Japan in San Francisco
• Azamat Abdraimov, Consul General of Kazakhstan in San Francisco
• Dmytro Kushneruk, Consul General of Ukraine in San Francisco

This will be the fifth program in Asia Society Northern California's series of panel discussions with Consuls General in San Francisco.  Links to our previous events can be found below:

• May 19, 2022: Four Consuls General on Emerging Tech in Asia
• August 9, 2021: Standing in Solidarity Against Asian Hate
• February 27, 2020: Southeast Asia in 2020 with Four Consuls General
• July 24, 2019: The Case for "America First" with Four Consuls General

AGENDA 

• 4:30 p.m.     Event Registration and Networking
• 5:00 p.m.     Panel Discussion Begins
• 6:00 p.m.     Panel Discussion Concludes, Cultural Reception Begins
• 7:00 p.m.     Cultural Reception Concludes, Exit Venue

SPEAKERS

Gloria Duffy (moderator) has been president and CEO of The Commonwealth Club of California since 1996.

She oversees the organizational strategy, programming, publications, outreach, membership and fundraising for the nation’s largest and oldest public affairs forum.

Dr. Duffy has initiated several special projects at the Club, including Voices of Reform (now the independent organization California Forward). These efforts have convened experts and stakeholders in challenging fields to build consensus for solutions and action. Dr. Duffy led the Club to produce its first full-length film, Final Choice, for PBS in 1998, and oversaw the editing and publication of Each a Mighty Voice (Heyday Press, 2004), which placed important speeches at the Club in their historical context.

She led the building search and capital campaign that enabled the Club to purchase 110 The Embarcadero, which will serve as its permanent headquarters and the first time the organization has owned its own home.

Prior to becoming president and CEO of The Commonwealth Club, Dr. Duffy was U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense and special coordinator for cooperative threat reduction.

Dr. Duffy received her A.B. magna cum laude in 1975 from Occidental College and her M.A. (1977), M.Phil. (1980), and Ph.D. (1991), all in political science, from Columbia University in New York, where she studied at the Harriman Institute. She also holds a Doctor of Humane Letters (honoris causa), awarded by the University of San Francisco in 2006.

Levan Beridze was appointed as the Consul General of Georgia in San Francisco in February 2020. Throughout his career in the foreign service he held the position of the Ambassador at Large at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia, served in the position of Counselor at the Embassy of Georgia to the United States since 2016, where he headed up the Economic Section and earlier was the First Secretary at the Embassy from 2012 to 2016. In his work, Levan Beridze focused on the enhancement and deepening of economic and trade relations between the United States and Georgia and the creation of a platform for interaction between the US and Georgian companies.

Mr. Beridze gained his experience by working for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), where he was part of the project management team leading the Economic Rehabilitation Program in the conflict zones of Georgia. Between 2009 and 2012 Levan accumulated his private sector knowledge working as the Marketing Manager for the Georgian wine company “Tiflisi Marani”, and successfully contributed to the Georgian wine popularization in the United States.

Levan received his formal education in the United States and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations and Diplomacy from the University of Delaware, where he also continued to receive his Master’s Degree in Public Administration in 2009.

Levan is married to Irine Asatiani and they have two children.

Yasushi Noguchi began his career with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan in 1990 and has been involved in the diplomatic service for over 30 years. Consul General Noguchi’s assignments overseas have included postings in Spain, the United States (Washington D.C.), Peru and as Consul General in Sao Paulo, Brazil. His domestic assignments in Japan have included positions as the Director at the Disarmament, Non-Proliferation and Science Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chief of Miyazaki Prefectural Police Headquarters, and as the Director General for International Affairs at the Ministry of Defense. He assumed his duties as Consul General of Japan in San Francisco on September 8, 2022.

Azamat Abdraimov serves as the Consul General of the Republic of Kazakhstan in San Francisco, with consular jurisdiction over 18 states in the western United States, including Alaska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arizona, Montana, Oregon, California, Nebraska, South Dakota, Colorado, Nevada, Utah, Hawaii, New-Mexico, Washington, Idaho, North Dakota, and Wyoming.

Consul General Azamat is an experienced career diplomat, having worked in various capacities in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan and its diplomatic missions overseas.

He began his diplomatic career as a Third Secretary in the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) Department in 2005, and later serving as a Second Secretary in the same department during 2006-2007.

In 2007, he was posted as Third Secretary of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Italy, where he made significant contributions to the embassy's diplomatic efforts. He went on to serve as First Secretary of the CIS Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan during 2009-2010, and as an Expert and Head of the Analytical department of the Security Council of the Kazakhstan from 2010 to 2011.

From 2011 to 2014, Mr. Abdraimov served as First Secretary of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Spain, where he successfully navigated complex diplomatic negotiations and strengthened bilateral relationships between the two countries. He was later promoted to Counsellor of the Embassy in the same country, a role he held from 2014 to 2015. He also served as Deputy Head of the Secretariat of EXPO-2017 of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan from 2015 to 2016, and later as Head of the Secretariat of EXPO-2017, where he oversaw the successful execution of the country's participation in the world fair. Before his appointment as Consul General in San Francisco, Mr. Abdraimov served as Chargé d'affaires of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Cuba from 2017 to 2018.

Mr. Abdraimov holds a degree from the Kazakh Humanitarian Law University and a diploma from the Diplomatic Academy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both obtained in 2003 and 2005 respectively.

In addition to his native language, he speaks Spanish and English, and holds the diplomatic rank of Counselor I class.

He was born on January 15, 1983, and is married and has 4 children. In his personal life, he enjoys traveling, reading, and spending time with his family.

Dmytro Kushneruk is the Consul General of Ukraine in San Francisco.  (Consular district including Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming)

Mr. Dmytro Kushneruk was born on January, 16 1983 in Odesa, Ukraine.

Mr.Kushneruk graduated and received his masters degree in international law from the Institute of international relations of Kyiv National Taras Shevchenko University and from Odessa National Law Academy.  

Dmytro Kushneruk joined diplomatic service in 2006, having worked at different posts at the President’s Office. 

In 2012-2014 Mr.Kushneruk was posted as Counsellor at the Permanent mission of Ukraine to the United Nations in New York.

In 2014-2020 Mr.Kushneruk served as Deputy Chief of Protocol to the President of Ukraine.

Dmytro Kushneruk was appointed Consul General of Ukraine in San Francisco in July 2020.

Mr. Kushneruk holds diplomatic rank of Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Envoy of the First class.

Married, has two children.

THANK YOU TO OUR EVENT PARTNERS

Consulate General of Georgia in San Francisco

Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco 

Consulate General of the Republic of Kazakhstan in San Francisco

Consulate General of Ukraine in San Francisco