The Board of the CICA Business Council convened for a meeting organized by the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan together with the Secretariat of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) on 17 September 2024. The meeting was centred on the preparations for the seventh plenary session of the CICA Business Council and the ninth CICA Business Forum. Following the meeting, the Board of the CICA Business Council approved the scheduling of these events for November 2024 in Astana.
In his remarks, CICA Secretary General Kairat Sarybay thanked the participants for their significant contributions to the Business Council. Highlighting the transition of the CICA Chairmanship, including the stewardship of the Business Council, to Azerbaijan this December, he shared the outcomes of high-level meetings with the Azerbaijani Chairmanship held in Baku. K. Sarybay emphasized the importance of preparing for the seventh plenary session and the ninth Business Forum and presented the Secretariat's proposal regarding the list of participants for the forthcoming events. The Secretary General expressed hope that Atameken would continue its active role in the work of the Business Council even after the Chairmanship is transferred to Azerbaijan.
Chairman of the Board of the Atameken NCE Raimbek Batalov supported the CICA Secretariat's initiative to engage international institutions, including financial entities, in the Business Council's activities. He also introduced Mr. Orkhan Mammadov, Chairman of the Management Board of the Small and Medium Business Development Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan (KOBIA), as the incoming Chairman of the CICA Business Council. R. Batalov assured that the Atameken NCE remains open for consultations on the activities of the Business Council.
In turn, Mr. Mammadov informed about KOBIA’s commitment to promoting the work of the CICA Business Council during the Chairmanship of Azerbaijan in 2024-2026 for the benefit of the development of small and medium enterprises of the CICA Member States. He proposed to hold the eighth plenary session of the Business Council and the tenth Business Forum in Baku in 2025.
Pavel Kondrashov, Deputy Chairman of the Board of the Business Council from the Russian Federation, proposed to include in the agenda of the Business Council the issue of promoting industrial cooperation and facilitating the participation of small and medium enterprises in global value chains, including the use of digital services and platforms.
The representative of the Republic of Türkiye, Murat Soykan, supported Mr. Kondrashov’s proposal on a new agenda item and informed the participants of his readiness to share Türkiye’s experience in this area with the members of the Business Council.
The event was an important step in the preparations for the seventh plenary session of the CICA Business Council and the ninth CICA Business Forum.
