On October 28, 2020, the Executive Director of the CICA Secretariat Ambassador Kairat Sarybay participated in a briefing held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan for the Ambassadors of the CICA Member States with the aim to highlight the principles and priorities of Kazakhstan's chairmanship in the CICA for the period 2020-2022.
On behalf of the CICA Chairman, the briefing has been moderated by the First Vice-Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Ambassador Shahrat Nuryshev who delivered the first statement.
He noted that the principles of Kazakhstan's chairmanship were outlined at the Special Meeting of CICA Foreign Ministers on September 24, 2020 and are as follows:
1.Enhance external ties of the CICA with regional and international organizations;
2.Promote trust and a spirit of cooperation through active CICA events;
3.Establish new CICA institutions: the CICA Fund, Council of Eminent Persons, Think Tanks Forum, CICA Troika, Ambassadors Club;
4.Empower the CICA Secretariat institutionally and financially;
5.Increase the visibility of the CICA;
6.Improve the legal framework;
7.Issue statements on the key issues of international and regional agenda.
Executive Director Ambassador K.Sarybay presented his speech based on the analysis of the proposals voiced by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs at the aforementioned CICA Special Meeting of Foreign Ministers. He noted that at the moment it is necessary to focus on the preparation of the Work Plan for 2021 and requested the Ambassadors to assist in obtaining constructive proposals for the Plan from the capitals. In this regard, he called on the CICA members to refrain from mutual blocking of confidence-building measures that do not carry a political burden, in particular in the field of health care, education, and youth policy.
Among the urgent issues, he named the need to prepare the Concepts and Roadmaps for 10 approved Confidence Building Measures. Ambassador K. Sarybay noted the need to launch an approval procedure for the inclusion of new Confidence Building Measures in the field of healthcare and digitalization in the Catalog of Confidence Building Measures and the appointment of their coordinators and co-coordinators. He noted that he would welcome the further internationalization of the Secretariat’s Personnel and requested CICA members to contribute to the CICA process through the secondment of diplomats, or through a financial contribution to the CICA budget.
He informed that the Secretariat will continue its image-making campaign in order to increase the visibility and recognition of CICA in the international arena.
