Astana, 7 April 2026 – Under the Chairmanship of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the first in 2026 meeting of the Senior Officials Committee (SOC) of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) was convened today at the CICA Secretariat Headquarters in Astana.
At the opening of the meeting, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Mr. Alibek Bakayev addressed the SOC members and confirmed Kazakhstan’s full support for the Azerbaijani Chairmanship’s priorities, highlighting the foundational goals of the Astana Statement on CICA Transformation and implementation of the Road Map. Mr. Bakayev described the organization’s accumulated trust and legacy as solid foundation for its transformation, emphasizing that enhanced institutional capacity is vital for turning political commitments into tangible actions and outcomes.
Chaired by Mr. Azer Musayev, Director of the Department of Regional Security of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan, the SOC meeting discussed institutional strengthening of CICA with primary emphasis on drafting the Charter – a cornerstone of the organization’s institutional transformation.
Azerbaijan’s Chairmanship reaffirmed its goal to finalize the draft by mid-2026, facilitating its adoption during the CICA 7th Summit in Baku on 15 October 2026 in Baku. Further review of the draft Charter will continue to align Member States' views and finalize the foundational document ahead of the Summit. During the deliberations, some Member States outlined their respective national positions on the draft Charter and its guiding principles.
In line with established practice, the SOC conducted its annual review of CBM implementation, focusing on the Military-Political Dimension.
Addressing the Committee, CICA Secretary General Ambassador Kairat Sarybay emphasized that this dimension remains a fundamental pillar for fostering mutual trust and transparency across Asia’s diverse landscape.
Strategic approaches and joint guidance of Kazakhstan and Türkiye, acting as coordinator and co-coordinator, respectively, enabled fostering professional military dialogue through information exchange, defense college visits, and mediation seminars. Since 2012, this collaboration has resulted 22 successful activities, including 12 visits to training centers and 10 specialized seminars.
While welcoming the dialogue on current measures, the Secretary General encouraged more active engagement in strengthening military dialogue, including prospects for enhancing the use of existing CBMs.
Additionally, the SOC further reviewed action plans and concept papers for CICA’s priority areas. Discussions led to the approval of the Concept Paper on cooperation among CICA Member States in the development of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for 2026-2027, prepared by the Russian Federation as coordinator in this priority area.
The participants further considered the annual Action Plan of the CICA Think Tank Forum for 2026 developed by the current Chair of TTF – Indian Council of World Affairs and took note of the financial report for 2025 presented by the Secretary General.
Regarding CICA’s legal framework, the Secretary General Kairat Sarybay briefed delegations on the Convention on Privileges and Immunities, noting that only one additional ratification is required for its entry into force.
The meeting concluded by highlighting several key events, including conference on empowering women's leadership and the first meeting of the CICA Women Council in Baku, a side-event on sustainable growth at the 82nd UN ESCAP session, and various activities commemorating the CICA Secretariat’s 20th anniversary.
