According to the decision of the ENQA (European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education) Board, the 9th Annual General Assembly was held in Astana on October 18-19, 2018 for the first time in the CIS countries.
The European Association for quality assurance in higher education (ENQA) was established in 2000 in accordance with the recommendations of the European Union dated 24 September 1998 and the Bologna Declaration (1999) for the development of cooperation between European countries in the quality assurance in higher education. It is recognized by the Ministers of education in Europe. Currently, 51 agencies from 29 countries are full members of ENQA, and 47 organizations from 25 countries are affiliated members.
The General Assembly of ENQA is the main decision-making body of ENQA. The General Assembly includes member organizations of the Association as well as representatives of European ministries and stakeholders as observers. The General Assembly is held once a year.
In 2018 IQAA hosted the 9th General Assembly which was held in the Radisson Hotel Astana.
In order to introduce foreign guests to Kazakhstan, the national system of higher education and the system of quality assurance in education, IQAA held a friendly greeting of the General Assembly participants.
Representatives of the national system of higher education of the Republic of Kazakhstan addressed the Assembly:
- Chairman of IQAA Supervisory Board Kulekeev Zh. in his report "Kazakhstan through time and space" introduced the foreign guests to the history and strategy development of the huge country in the heart of Eurasia, where antiquity coexists with modernity and Eastern tradition coexists with Western modernity.
- Director of the Department of Higher and Post-Graduate Education of the Ministry of education and science of the Republic of Kazakhstan devoted his speech to the review and analysis of the national system of higher education of the Republic of Kazakhstan in his report "System of higher education".
- IQAA President Sh.Kalanova made a speech on the topic "Development of quality assurance in higher education of Kazakhstan", which reflected the Integration Stages
of Higher Education System of Kazakhstan in EHEA, A political and legislative basis
of the quality assessment system in Kazakhstan, the stages of establishment of independent accreditation.
At the end of the official part, the participants had the opportunity to exchange views and suggestions in a relaxed atmosphere during a coffee break.
Within the program of the greeting meeting, all participants of the General Assembly were invited to the Opera and Ballet Theatre "Astana Opera"to enjoy the chamber music of The German romanticism, where the immortal works of Mendelssohn, R. Schumann and I. Brahms were performed by famous instrumentalists of the state trio of the Republic of Kazakhstan "Forte Trio".
Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan 
Ministry of Education and Science of the Kyrgyz Republic 
