17 December 2025 — The Senior Officials Committee (SOC) of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) convened today under the Chairmanship of the Republic of Azerbaijan for its concluding meeting of 2025. The session served to review the year’s key developments, take stock of institutional progress and outline priorities for the period ahead.
Opening the meeting, the Azerbaijani Chairmanship, led by Mr. Azer Musayev, Director of the Department of Regional Security of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan, welcomed the active participation of CICA Member States and expressed appreciation for their sustained engagement throughout the year. Emphasizing continuity, inclusiveness and shared responsibility, the Chairmanship noted that the meeting provided an important opportunity to consolidate the momentum achieved in 2025 and to shape the way forward in the context of CICA’s ongoing transformation process and preparations for the Seventh CICA Summit in Baku in 2026.
In his address, the CICA Secretary General Ambassador Kairat Sarybay outlined the principal achievements of CICA and the key activities of the Secretariat in 2025, highlighting its continued support to the Chairmanship and Member States in advancing the Road Map for CICA Transformation. He drew attention to progress across key areas, including work on the draft CICA Charter, further refinement of modalities for the implementation of confidence building measures, strengthening the Secretariat’s institutional and administrative capacity and expanding CICA’s engagement with regional and international partners. The Secretary General reaffirmed the Secretariat’s commitment to providing effective and forward-looking support to Member States in the year ahead.
Senior officials engaged in substantive discussions on a range of issues central to CICA’s institutional development, including on the draft Charter, regarded as a foundational element of the Conference’s transformation into a full-fledged international organization. Furthermore, the SOC took note of the Annual Report on the activities of the CICA Secretariat for 2025 and expressed its appreciation to the Secretary General for the effective management and the successful implementation of its mandate, approved the CICA Plan of Implementation of Confidence Building Measures for 2026, reaffirming the commitment of Member States to further strengthen cooperation and trust across all CICA dimensions. In addition, the SOC adopted the decision on the budget of the CICA Secretariat for 2026, ensuring the continued functioning of the Secretariat and the effective support of CICA’s governing, working and advisory bodies. The meeting further approved the extension of the term of service of the Russian Federation as CICA coordinator in the priority area “Security of and in the use of information and communication technologies” for the period 2026–2027.
Under the agenda item “Any other business,” participants addressed several additional matters related to CICA’s ongoing activities. These included updates on concept papers and action plans supporting the implementation of confidence building measures under the priority areas of the CICA dimensions, reflecting a continued emphasis on practical and results-oriented cooperation. Attention was also drawn to volunteerism as an integral element of the human dimension, recognizing its contribution to social cohesion, people-to-people contacts and mutual trust among CICA Member States. The meeting further took note of recent developments in Sri Lanka, including information shared on recovery-related initiatives and the “Rebuild Sri Lanka” Fund, as well as the potential for assistance to be channelled through projects under the CICA Fund.
The meeting concluded with a shared understanding of the need to maintain close coordination and collective engagement as CICA moves into the next phase of its work, including preparations for the Seventh CICA Summit in 2026.
