Press Releases

“CICA is matured enough to take up new challenges” - Foreign Minister of Palestine Dr. Riad Malki




Kazakhstan Chairmanship priorities and the main topics on the agenda of upcoming milestone Sixth CICA Summit were discussed in Ramallah during the visit of the Executive Director of Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Ambassador Kairat Sarybay to Palestine on 22 February 2022.

CICA Executive Director thoroughly briefed Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of Palestine Dr. Riad Malki on the concept of transformation of CICA – main priority of Kazakhstan Chairmanship. Referring to the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Ambassador Sarybay noted that transformation process should be based on a gradual, consistent and incremental approach with preserving CICA’s cornerstone principles.

Minister Riad Malki expressed readiness to endorse and contribute to increase the effectiveness and international competitiveness of the forum and underlined that “CICA is matured enough to take up new challenges”. Minister stressed that international community has to think wisely and move forward to ensure peace, security and stability in the world. Excellency Malki informed that Palestine will consider thoroughly the nomination of Palestinian candidate to the CICA Council of Eminent Persons.

Outlining that Asia is becoming one of the main driving forces in global development of the 21st century, interlocutors agreed that Asia needs serious look into security issues and has to create a common and indivisible security space, anchored by a reliable system of multilateral cooperation institutions, one of which is CICA.

Ambassador Sarybay informed about the preparations to the Sixth CICA Summit, which will be held on 12-13 October 2022, and expressed Chairmanship’s desire to welcome Palestinian delegation at the highest level in Nur-Sultan.

During the visit CICA delegation laid wreath of flowers at the shrine of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and toured to the Museum of “Yasser Arafat”.

Kazakhstan was elected as the Chairman of the CICA in 2020. One of the strategic goals of Kazakhstan’s Chairmanship is transformation of the forum into a fully-fledged international organization for regional security and cooperation in Asia. The visit of the Executive Director Ambassador Kairat Sarybay is taking place within the framework of preparations to the Sixth CICA Summit.


Share