Beijing, 29-30 April 2025 – Deputy Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Ms. Zhang Ling paid a working visit to the Secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to hold consultations at the level of Deputy Secretaries General of the two organizations. The visit was conducted in line with the agreements previously reached between the Secretaries General of CICA and the SCO.
At the SCO Secretariat, Ms. Zhang Ling was received by SCO Secretary General Nurlan Yermekbayev, who commended CICA’s role in the Asian region and expressed hope for further strengthening of the partnership between the two organizations.
Extensive consultations were held between the delegations of the CICA and SCO Secretariats with the participation of SCO Deputy Secretary General Ahmad Saidmurodzoda. The discussions focused on the implementation of the 2014 Memorandum of Understanding between the two Secretariats and explored prospects for future cooperation. It was considered advisable to continue the practice of mutual participation in events and to hold joint activities on pressing issues on the agendas of CICA and the SCO.
During the substantive discussion, the parties exchanged their experiences of interacting with the United Nations, its specialized agencies, as well as other international organizations active in the region.
The parties also shared information on topical issues related to the activities of the two organizations, including the institutional transformation of CICA and the reform process within the SCO.
The representatives of the two organizations reaffirmed their interest in continuing to hold regular consultations, both at the level of Deputy Secretaries General and among experts on specific areas of cooperation.
The partnership between CICA and the SCO was established in 2014 with the signing of the relevant memorandum between their Secretariats. Currently, nine of the ten SCO members are also Member States of CICA, while Belarus, which joined the SCO in 2024, holds observer status in CICA.
