Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has addressed the VII Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku, Azerbaijan.

In his remarks, Tokayev thanked Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev for the hospitality and excellent organization of the summit, The Caspian Post reports, citing Qazinform.

The Kazakh president praised Azerbaijan’s dynamic chairmanship, aimed at strengthening CICA’s potential as a unique platform for dialogue, trust and comprehensive cooperation.

“For Kazakhstan, the Conference is a matter of special significance. Three decades ago, my country launched this Forum in good faith, to build mutual confidence and foster security in our vast region. Since then, CICA has succeeded to get its member-states together for delivering equal benefits to all of us. In fact, today CICA is the only Forum to have been aimed to build security and trust in Asia at one table. CICA’s participating states cover almost 90 percent of Asia, representing more than half of the world’s population. There are few multilateral organizations that can make such claim,” Tokayev emphasized.

He noted that CICA’s broad reach reflects the organization’s considerable potential, driven by an energetic younger generation seeking to build a shared future.

“The spirit of CICA, embodying our genuine commitment to shape a secure and prosperous Asia, has become a truly recognizable brand. And I am pleased to welcome Laos, which today joins CICA as a full-fledged member state,” Tokayev said.