CICA Summit in Astana make strides on regional cooperation, global counter-terrorism strategy

Astana [Kazakhstan], October 14 : The sixth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) which took place in Kazakhstan on October 12-13 made headway on creating ideal conditions for regional and subregional financial cooperation and inclusive growth of nations, according to an official statement of the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Speaking at the opening of the plenary session of the CICA summit, President Tokayev outlined several directions for Kazakhstan's next two-year chairpersonship at the CICA in the context of gaps in global supply chains and also transform the CICA financial summit into a permanent platform.
Moreover, several decisions and documents have been adopted during the meeting which included the CICA Action Plan to Implement the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy and the decision on CICA Chairmanship in 2022-2024 and the next meetings of the Summit and Ministerial Council also took place.
The CICA meeting marked the presence of 11 heads of state, including presidents of Azerbaijan, Belarus (observer), Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the State of Palestine, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, and Uzbekistan, as well as the Emir of Qatar. Vice-Presidents of China and Vietnam also participated in the summit, according to the official release.
In his video address to the CICA summit, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated, "I am grateful for our partnership in pursuit of our shared goals: advancing sustainable development."
He further said that over the last 30 years, CICA has grown into a vital platform for dialogue between countries across Asia.
According to Astana Statement, Heads of State or Government of the Member States of CICA agreed to launch a "structured, inclusive and transparent negotiations process of gradual, incremental and consensus-based transformation of CICA into a full-fledged regional international organization".
This process is one of the key priorities of Kazakhstan's chairpersonship in CICA, the official statement added.
The CICA Fund Regulations have also been approved during the summit in Astana.
The CICA summit also appointed the incumbent Executive Director of the CICA Secretariat H. E. Ambassador Kairat Sarybay as the First Secretary General of CICA.
CICA was established at the initiative of Kazakhstan in 1992. It is an inter-governmental organisation for enhancing cooperation towards peace, security and stability in Asia and unites 27 member states (encompassing 90 per cent of the Asian continent), 9 observer states, 5 observer international organisations and 5 partner organisations.
Year 2022 marked the 30th anniversary of the CICA and it aims at designing a confidence-building measure to address humanitarian issues, environmental cooperation, promoting trade and economic cooperation, eliminating threats of terrorism, and promoting mutual respect, understanding, and tolerance, the official press release added.