Today the Founder of Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) - the First President of Kazakhstan, Elbasy Nursultan Nazarbayev received Ambassador Kairat Sarybay, CICA Executive Director. Mr. Nazarbayev had been named “Founder of CICA” in the Dushanbe Declaration of the CICA Summit of 15 June 2019. The leaders of CICA Member States expressed deep appreciation to President Nazarbayev for his significant contribution to the development of CICA and welcomed his further active participation in strengthening CICA capacity and in comprehensive efforts to ensure peace, security and interaction in Asia.
At the meeting with Elbasy, the Executive Director briefed him on the remarkable progress achieved by CICA to date and on the CICA Secretariat’s work to implement the Kazakhstan Chairmanship priorities and initiatives in the run-up to the 30th anniversary of CICA in 2022. The CICA Founder shared his wisdom and advice on the future of CICA and its role in strengthening co-operation in Asia and global peace and security.
Ambassador Sarybay highlighted the main priority for 2020-2022 - the proposal of Kazakhstan on transformation of the CICA forum to a full-fledged international organization for regional security in Asia. According to Executive Director Sarybay, today, after 30 years of evolution, CICA is successfully achieving the goals set by its Member States and effectively fulfilling its role as a forum for dialogue and platform for implementation of confidence building measures.
CICA already has a well-established institutional structure and other necessary features of an international organization. In view of Mr. Sarybay, CICA is mature enough for smooth and gradual upgrade into an organization without major structural changes and with keeping all its fundamental principles and objectives. Transformation of CICA would not only enhance cooperation among its 27 Member States covering about 90% of the territory of the Asian continent, but also strengthen the role of Asia in the global security architecture.
Ambassador Sarybay noted that the CICA Secretariat also focuses on supporting the initiatives of the Kazakhstan Chairmanship on further institutionalization and strengthening of CICA by the establishment of new institutions with high added value .
Elbasy Nazarbayev shared his vision on topical issues of regional and global security and cooperation in Asia and expressed satisfaction with the major progress achieved by CICA since its launch in 1992 at the UN General Assembly. Mr. Nazarbayev noted with confidence that CICA Member States will continue their interaction for strengthening peace, security and economic connectivity, taking into account the increasing role of Asia in ensuring global security.
Mr. Nazarbayev expressed full support to further development and strengthening of CICA and his readiness to remain engaged and facilitate this process. He welcomed the conceptual approaches to transformation of the forum into a full-fledged international organization for regional security and other initiatives, such as establishment of a Council of Eminent Persons, Think Tanks Forum and CICA Fund, and wished success to the CICA Chairmanship and Secretariat in implementation of CICA goals.
