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Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen!
I would like to begin by expressing my appreciation to the hosts of the Conference – the Government and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus – for the invitation and the opportunity to address such a distinguished audience. As always, it is a pleasure to visit friends in the welcoming hero city of Minsk.
I am confident that an open and engaging discussion in such a respected and knowledgeable group will help us all to better understand the processes across the vast Eurasian region and develop new, future-oriented ideas and initiatives.
The issues raised for discussion at this forum are certainly relevant and pressing and generate interest around the world, to say the least. Political leaders, governments and major think tanks are working hard to address them. I believe that the discussions at our Conference can also make a positive contribution that can be put to practical use.
The world is experiencing challenging times, and this is especially true for the Eurasian continent. The erosion of the security architecture has triggered a significant security crisis in both the European part of our large continent and Western Asia, traditionally known as the Middle and Near East. There are still flashpoints of conflicts in other regions, such as South and East Asia, that also possess significant destructive potential. That said, a growing crisis of trust among the actors involved in these processes is making it difficult to find solutions.
In the current climate of geopolitical fragmentation and emerging dividing lines, multilateralism and inclusivity are becoming the only viable approaches to peace and stability. The new security architecture for the Eurasian continent should focus on overcoming these dividing lines and creating a unified and indivisible security space for all. The first and fundamental step should be to establish confidence building measures that, if successfully implemented, will lay the groundwork for cooperation.
Today, there are many encouraging examples around the world and in our region of confidence building and interaction that contribute to the security and well-being of people. I dare say that the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia holds a unique position among them.
The dismantling of the bipolar world has significantly increased the influence of medium and small countries, which have realized that they can play a key role in global and regional affairs by joining forces. Today, this process is observed all over the planet, but it is most evident in Asia.
The idea of establishing CICA was proposed by the first President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev on 5 October 1992 at the 47th session of the UN General Assembly. As is known, Kazakhstan ranks 9th in the world in terms of territory, but only 62nd in terms of population. It is clear that this initiative could only be supported and implemented willfully and voluntarily.
Having said that, this seed fell upon fertile ground, because the need for such a structure was long overdue. Major powers put forward several initiatives on Asian integration, but it was this factor that became an obstacle.
Unlike many “old world” organizations and blocs, CICA does not have dominant powers that dictate its ideology. CICA has several distinct advantages, including a sensitive awareness of geopolitical realities, a lack of bloc mentality, a low level of politicization, a pragmatic approach to interaction in specific areas with a unifying agenda, and, most importantly, genuine equality among participants.
This constitutes a distinctive characteristic of CICA, where large, medium and small states participate on an equal footing. It prioritizes combining efforts, considering mutual interests and identifying common areas of action.
The establishment of CICA as a single platform for pan-Asian dialogue at the dawn of the current millennium was an objective necessity in light of progressive globalization and economic development, alongside the rising security challenges and threats stemming from ongoing regional and local conflicts.
The primary goal of the CICA Member States is to build a framework for security and cooperation in Asia grounded in the principles of the UN Charter, international law, transparency and mutual trust. Our forum is a flexible structure guided by such fundamental principles as inclusiveness, strict consensus and voluntariness.
CICA countries have, at times, vastly differing perspectives on certain issues on the international agenda. However, strict adherence to the mentioned principles allows them to interact effectively and develop solutions by focusing not on what divides them but on what unites them.
CICA was initially founded as a platform for discussing security issues. Confidence building measures in the military-political area were central to the establishment of our Conference and remain one of the key areas of our interaction. The CICA Member States also prioritize cooperation in the new challenges and threats dimension, including combating terrorism, illegal migration, illicit drugs and other related issues.
There are also other dimensions of confidence building measures –economic, environmental and human – which, although they may not initially seem directly related to security issues, contribute to strengthening it by fostering cooperation and promoting mutual understanding and trust.
All these measures are consolidated in a unique document – the Catalogue of Confidence Building Measures – which, together with the 1999 Declaration on the Principles and the 2002 Almaty Act, forms the foundation for cooperation within CICA.
In accordance with the Catalogue of Confidence Building Measures, the Member States have agreed on a joint approach to fostering interaction by following a “from simple to complex” principle – starting with building trust, then advancing to full-fledged cooperation that enhances mutual security, which ultimately serves as a foundation for sustainable development.
This approach is as simple as it is revolutionary in multilateral relations. States, even those without any common areas of interaction due to bilateral issues, are invited to jointly participate in some fields of cooperation that are agreeable, such as environmental problems, entirely on a voluntary basis. Such cooperation can lay the foundations of trust and serve as a catalyst for further interaction.
The international community is increasingly recognizing that true security is unattainable without progress in economic and social development, addressing environmental and humanitarian challenges and finding solutions to issues of civilizational and cultural significance. There is a growing global understanding that the achievement of sustainable development goals is key to lasting security.
For example, the first CICA Ministerial Conference on Environmental Issues on 28 August 2024 adopted a high-level statement reflecting the commitment of the Member States to cooperate in accordance with the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Paris Agreement, to improve the quality of life, paying special attention to climate change mitigation, biodiversity conservation and pollution control, and strengthen water management through capacity building and technology exchange.
In the human dimension, the CICA Member States are actively cooperating within the framework of the Youth Council, under the auspices of which the first CICA Rally of Volunteer Movement Leaders was held in early October.
At the Sixth CICA Summit in 2022, President of Kazakhstan Tokayev proposed to create a Partnership Network of Leading Universities of the Member States. This initiative is designed to strengthen cooperation in the fields of education and innovation, research and development, training, as well as the promotion of the Asian model of innovative education worldwide. It is expected that this Partnership Network will be inaugurated at the Seventh CICA Ministerial Council Meeting in Azerbaijan on 19 December 2024.
CICA seeks to contribute to efforts to reform the global financial and economic system. The institutionalization of the CICA Finance Summit will facilitate economic recovery, sustainable and inclusive development, as well as favourable conditions for regional and sub-regional financial cooperation. This initiative of China and the Kazakh CICA Chairmanship was discussed at an expert session within the framework of the annual Astana Finance Days last month.
Last week, the Think Tank Forum – another permanent structure of CICA – held its annual meeting, bringing together leading think tanks from Member States to develop recommendations for governments on the most critical and timely issues.
I am also pleased to announce the launch of the CICA Fund, established two years ago to mobilize voluntary funding and implement consensus-based projects for development and humanitarian aid. In August, the Fund's Project Review Committee held its first meeting, which considered project proposals for assistance to farmers in Afghanistan.
At the aforementioned CICA Summit in 2022, President of Kazakhstan Tokayev proposed establishing the CICA Council on Sustainable Connectivity. The aim of this initiative is to develop interconnected and efficient infrastructure and systems, including the integration of various transport, energy, trade and communication networks, promote investment and tourism, create conditions for access to markets, resources, technologies, improve logistics efficiency and support social development by creating additional jobs.
Distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen,
I think the future of Eurasia lies precisely with such associations as CICA, which serve to erase dividing lines and create new areas of interaction in their place. Such activities comply with the principles of the UN Charter, an organization to which there is no alternative and which in the future will retain its role as the backbone of international order and cooperation.
CICA, as an organization of pan-Asian cooperation, fits perfectly into the new architecture of Eurasian security. The unique membership and broad agenda make CICA a valuable complement rather than a counterweight to other regional frameworks such as the SCO, CSTO, EAEU and others.
The relevance of CICA was evidenced by the unanimous decision of the Member States adopted in October 2022 at the Astana Summit on the gradual transformation of the Conference into a full-fledged international organization. At the same time, CICA has already taken place as a security structure and has de facto been an international organization for a long time.
Our association will further contribute to the consolidation of the common vision of Asian states and their connectivity. I am sure that in the future CICA will definitely take a prominent place in the new comprehensive security architecture of the Eurasian continent and the world.
The future of international security lies in multilateral diplomacy. Only the strengthening of genuine multilateralism based on confidence building measures can provide an adequate response to the challenges of our time and show the transition from competition to cooperation.
In conclusion, I would like to wish the Conference successful sessions and its participants engaging and productive discussions.
Thank you for your attention.
Minsk, 31 October 2024
