25 January 2024 – Astana – Deputies of the Senate and Mazhilis of the Parliament of Kazakhstan paid a visit to the headquarters of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA). The delegation was headed by Chairs of the Committees on International Relations, Defence and Security of the Senate and Mazhilis Andrei Lukin and Aigul Kuspan. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kazakhstan Alibek Bakayev also took part in the event.
CICA Secretary General Ambassador Kairat Sarybay reminded the MPs of the history of the Conference's establishment and evolution, its existing bodies and institutions and spoke about the ongoing activities of the Secretariat, as well as the process of transforming CICA into an international organization.
“Based on the organization’s core ideas, CICA pursues a policy centred around the principles of sovereign equality, non-interference in the internal affairs of the Member States, economic, social and cultural cooperation to expand partnerships by developing multilateral approaches to bolster peace, security and stability in Asia,” said Kairat Sarybay.
In particular, CICA has fostered collaboration with the UN and its specialized agencies and established regular relations with various regional entities, including TURKPA, the League of Arab States, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and others.
Chair of the Committee on International Affairs, Defence and Security of the Mazhilis of the Parliament Aigul Kuspan expressed gratitude to the Secretariat's leadership for the invitation and emphasized the importance of the work undertaken by CICA, noting that this year marks the 32nd anniversary since the initiative to convene the Conference was first put forward.
Aigul Kuspan stated, “CICA has evolved into not only a platform for broad cooperation but also an effective institution of international diplomacy. We express our support for the initiatives to hold the CICA Ministerial Conference on Environmental Issues in August 2024 in Astana, as well as the Rally of Volunteer Movement Leaders under the auspices of the CICA Youth Council.”
Deputy Foreign Minister Alibek Bakayev briefed the deputies on the major achievements of the Kazakh Chairmanship in CICA since 2020. He underlined that with the support of President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and the Member States, significant initiatives aimed at strengthening the platform of multilateral dialogue had been successfully implemented.
The Deputy Foreign Minister also spoke about the thrust of the President's initiatives proposed at the Sixth CICA Summit.
Engaged in an animated discussion, the parliamentarians brought up issues of the harmonization of customs control at borders, the development of international trade, cooperation in transboundary water resources and coordination among special bodies in combating illegal drug trafficking. The meeting participants discussed challenges in international politics, touching upon the escalating Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and deliberated on the role of CICA in addressing complex Asian security issues.
“The uniqueness and strength of our organization lies in the opportunity it provides for states, including those without mutual diplomatic recognition, to come together at the same table and engage in negotiations,” commented the CICA Secretary General.
In conclusion, Andrei Lukin, Chair of the Committee on International Relations, Defence and Security of the Senate of the Kazakh Parliament, expressed appreciation for the thorough information on CICA's activities and confirmed the parliamentary corps' readiness to continue offering comprehensive support to the Conference across all its dimensions.
Media Contact:
Akbota Batyrkhan
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Email: a.batyrkhan@s-cica.org
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