Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Ambassador Kairat Sarybay paid a working visit to Bishkek, where he held consultations with the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and representatives of various CICA bodies.
Foreign Minister of Kyrgyzstan Jeenbek Kulubaev emphasized his country’s continued support for the development of CICA as an important intergovernmental association in the pan-Asian security architecture and noted the substantial progress achieved through the initiatives of the Kazakh Chairmanship and the targeted actions of the CICA Secretariat. In turn, the Secretary General informed about the efforts taken to ensure a seamless transition of the CICA Chairmanship from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan and shared preparations for the Seventh Ministerial Council Meeting scheduled for 11 November 2024 in Baku. K. Sarybay also updated on the CICA transformation and the implementation of the priorities of the current Chairmanship. The Secretary General expressed gratitude to the Kyrgyz side for the initiative to host the Seventh Meeting of the CICA Business Council and the Ninth CICA Business Forum in the 4th quarter of this year in Bishkek. It was emphasized that Kyrgyzstan plays a prominent role as a co-coordinator of the priority area of confidence building measures “Trade and Investment”.
During in-depth consultations with Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Aibek Moldogaziev, the sides considered expected outcomes of the upcoming November Ministerial. The Deputy Minister reiterated Bishkek’s support for the Kazakh Chairmanship's efforts to transform CICA into an international organization, focusing on the key clusters of the Transformation Road Map. A. Moldogaziev outlined the priority areas for Kyrgyzstan within CICA, in particular trade, economic and energy cooperation. Moreover, he emphasized the importance of the CICA advisory bodies, proposing to enhance synergy among the Think Tank Forum (TTF), the Business and Youth Councils. In the context of the priority area “Trade and Investment”, the role and functions of the Member States that are coordinators or co-coordinators of certain areas of confidence building measures were considered.
Substantive discussions took place at the National Institute of Strategic Initiatives (NISI) under the President of Kyrgyzstan, a member of the TTF. NISI Director Sanzhar Mukanbetov was provided with detailed information about the history of CICA, its mandate, institutions and unique membership, as well as the evolution of the TTF, its goals, structure and working modalities. A lively exchange of views took place on current processes in the CICA area and its place in the pan-Asian multilateral cooperation framework in the context of the growing role of Asia in global politics and economy. The sides explored ways to use the TTF platform to promote the trade and economic interests of the Member States, including Kyrgyzstan.
The consultations at the National Investment Agency under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic focused on the work of the CICA Business Council and Business Forum. The Secretariat provided an informative overview of the history, composition, structure, status of the Business Council within the CICA organizational framework, as well as insights into its ongoing activities. The parties deliberated on the agenda and considered a diverse range of potential speakers for the upcoming meeting of the Business Council and Business Forum in Bishkek, emphasizing the importance of advance elaboration of all organizational modalities.
