Astana, 12 June 2025 — Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), H.E. Ambassador Kairat Sarybay, took part in the 14th Plenary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA), held under the theme “TURKTIME: The Role of Parliamentary Diplomacy”.
This TURKPA meeting, which culminated in the adoption of the Astana Declaration, brought together heads of parliamentary delegations from TURKPA Member States — Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Türkiye and Uzbekistan — alongside representatives of observer states, observer organizations and partner institutions.
The session was opened and chaired by H.E. Mr. Yerlan Koshanov, Chairman of the Mazhilis of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan, during which the Chairmanship of TURKPA was handed over from the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan to the Parliament of Kazakhstan.
In his remarks, Chairman Koshanov highlighted the growing role of parliamentary diplomacy in international relations, noting its importance as a driving force of integration in the Turkic world. He emphasized that TURKPA has fully developed as an institutional platform for legislative harmonization, and that inter-parliamentary cooperation has become a solid foundation for trust and stability.
CICA Secretary General Ambassador Kairat Sarybay expressed appreciation to Chairman Koshanov and the Parliament of Kazakhstan for the excellent organization of the event and for the ratification of the amendments to the Host Country Agreement between the Government of Kazakhstan and the CICA Secretariat.
Ambassador Kairat Sarybay cited H.E. President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan stating that "strong parliaments are essential for democratic governance and development". The CICA Secretary General emphasized the increasing relevance of multilateral diplomacy in an era marked by complex geopolitical challenges and expressed satisfaction that calls for prioritizing dialogue over division and cooperation over confrontation are increasingly being heard from various platforms, including the Astana International Forum championed by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
CICA Secretary General also commended the active contribution of TURKPA Member States, which are also CICA Member States, to the implementation of the Azerbaijani Chairmanship’s priorities. In this context, he outlined opportunities for synergy between the two institutions, including in the areas of women’s empowerment and youth engagement, through such initiatives of the Chairmanship as the proposed CICA Women Council, the recently launched CICA Youth Contests and the upcoming Rally of Volunteer Movement Leaders to be held in October 2025 in Baku.
The event was also addressed by H.E. Mr. Maulen Ashimbayev, Chairman of the Senate of the Parliament of the Republic of Kazakhstan; H.E. Mrs. Sahiba Gafarova, Chairperson of the Milli Majlis of the Republic of Azerbaijan; H.E. Mr. Numan Kurtulmuş, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye; H.E. Mr. Nurlanbek Turgunbek uulu, Chairman of the Jogorku Kenesh of Kyrgyzstan; and H.E. Mr. Nuriddin Ismoilov, Speaker of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
The heads of parliaments and leaders of Turkic cooperation organizations shared their views on the theme of the plenary session, underscoring the growing importance of parliamentary diplomacy in addressing global and regional challenges. The Assembly also adopted the reports and recommendations of its commissions on legal affairs and international relations, education, culture, social and humanitarian issues, economic cooperation, as well as on the environment, natural resources and healthcare.
Read the full text of the remarks by CICA Secretary General Kairat Sarybay at the 14th Plenary Session of TURKPA: https://s-cica.org/ru/index.php?view=page&t=speeches&id=330
