Aleksandr Strokatov

An alumni of the MILE 9 cohort, Aleksandr was a key member of the negotiation team for Kazakhstan’s accession to the WTO. He contributed enormously to preparing and analyzing Kazakhstan’s trade-related agreements. Recently, he was pursuing his PhD in Public Policy at Nazarbayev University, where he was studying trade facilitation in Central Asia.

Tribute from Pierre Sauve, former WTI Director of Studies:

I remember Aleksandr very well, as a very popular member of the MILE 9 cohort, with a constant smile on his face that radiated a highly communicative joie de vivre. Post MILE, in our capacity as World Bank consultants, Arthur Appleton and I interacted closely with Aleksandr and a group of highly accomplished MILE graduates that populated the inner circle of advisors guiding Kazakhstan to becoming a full-fledged WTO member. Arthur and I happened to be in Astana on the day WTO accession was clinched, prompting a celebratory dinner that filled us with pride at the speed with which Aleks and his colleagues were able to deploy skills honed through a year of hard work at Hallerstrasse 6.

Tribute from Aray, Assylzat and his former colleagues:

Alexander Strokatov after graduating WTI was invited to work for the Center for Trade Policy Development under the Ministry of National Economy of the Republic of Kazakhstan where he served as a Head of Section on Non-Tariff Regulation. He was a member of negotiating team on Kazakhstan’s accession to the WTO covering following areas: customs valuation, other customs formalities, rules of origin, quantitative restrictions, trading rights, subsidies etc. Also, he was involved in preparation of the negotiation position of Kazakstan in bilateral and multilateral trade agreements.  

In 2018, Alexander embarked on his Ph.D. journey at Nazarbayev University's Graduate School of Public Policy, where he delved into researching the "Politics of Memory in Some Former Post-Soviet States: Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Baltic countries." With unwavering dedication and pride, he aspired to make significant contributions to his country's development through his academic pursuits. He was also involved in trade facilitation-related technical assistance projects in the region.

He remained a great patriot of his country, possessed a strong personality, and was sincere friend and colleague.