Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Ambassador Kairat Sarybay took part in the Third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation, which was held from 17 to 18 October 2023 in Beijing.
Speaking at panel discussion “Deepen International Cooperation on Digital Economy for Shared Benefits of All” within the High-level Forum on Digital Economy, Kairat Sarybay briefed on the events held under the auspices of CICA, in particular at the CICA Business Council, on the digitalization of business processes of SMEs, food security, green finance, renewable energy, the introduction of artificial intelligence, e-commerce development, addressing logistics and infrastructure problems through innovations. Stressing the importance of ensuring a secure digital environment, the Secretary General noted that the area “Security of and in the use of ICTs” was included in the CICA Catalogue of Confidence Building Measures and that at the Sixth CICA Summit, the heads of state and government adopted a thematic statement in that area.
Ambassador Kairat Sarybay also elaborated on the work of the CICA Chairmanship and Secretariat on the implementation of the initiative of President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev to establish the CICA Council on Sustainable Connectivity, which is closely correlated with such connectivity projects as the Belt and Road Initiative, East-West and North-South Corridors, and the Eurasian economic integration processes. Kairat Sarybay underlined CICA's commitment and openness to enhance international cooperation for economic development.
The Forum brought together representatives of more than 130 countries and 30 international organizations, including the presidents of Viet Nam, the Republic of Kazakhstan, Mongolia, the Russian Federation, the Republic of Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka and leaders of other countries, as well as UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The event opened with a keynote address by President of the People's Republic of China Xi Jinping, who highlighted the progress of the Belt and Road Initiative over the past decade and presented eight new steps to support the further implementation of the initiative.
On the Forum’s sidelines, the CICA Secretary General held discussions with Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Ms Armida Alisjahbana, Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime Ms Ghada Waly, Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission Mr Mikhail Myasnikovich, High Representative for the UN Alliance of Civilizations Mr Miguel Moratinos, SCO Secretary-General Mr Zhang Ming and ASEAN Secretary-General Dr Kao Kim Hourn.
