Astana, 27 August 2025 - The Secretariat of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) convened its first-ever informal consultation at the new CICA Headquarters, bringing together Ambassadors and representatives of several CICA Member States. The meeting served as a platform to exchange views on possible avenues of the Secretariat’s engagement with relevant stakeholders in Afghanistan, reflecting the continued attention of CICA to regional stability and cooperation.
CICA Secretary General Kairat Sarybay briefed the participants on previous ad hoc engagements with Afghan counterparts under the CICA framework. In November 2024, at the invitation of the Republic of Kazakhstan, an Afghan business delegation took part in the 9th CICA Business Forum - reflecting Afghanistan’s growing engagement with regional economic initiatives. In March 2025, the first-ever project under the CICA Fund was approved by its Project Review Committee: Advancing Wheat Cultivation for Sustainable Development in Central Afghanistan. Proposed by Kazakhstan and jointly developed by CICA and the Islamic Organization for Food Security (IOFS), the initiative was co-financed by IOFS, the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), and the CICA Fund. The project was designed to strengthen food security and self-sufficiency in vulnerable communities, marking a milestone in regional cooperation for sustainable development. More broadly, these efforts reflect CICA’s evolving role as a platform for practical cooperation and confidence building, while supporting Afghanistan’s integration into regional processes.
By hosting this consultation, the Secretariat reaffirmed its readiness to work closely with its Member States in identifying constructive avenues for engaging with Afghanistan, with the aim of advancing peace, security and sustainable development across Asia.
