Baku-Hosted CICA Think Tank Forum Highlights Regional Co-Op, Security Challenges

The two-day forum on “Resonance of Development and Security: Regional Cooperation and Governance in the Institutional Transformation of CICA” featured a key session titled “Promoting Security Through Development - Exploring New Approaches to Asian Security Governance.”

Moderated by Senior Advisor at the Center of Analysis of International Relations (AIR Center) Yunis Gurbanov, the session saw discussions on regional cooperation and security challenges, The Caspian Post reports, citing local media.

Yang Jiemian, Honorary President of the Shanghai Institutes of International Studies and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board, said that Asian countries commend China's global development in recent years.

He said that while traveling from Heydar Aliyev International Airport to central Baku, he has witnessed a dynamically developing city. "I convey my best wishes to Baku - the city that epitomizes peace, tranquility, and robust social development," he added.

Iftekhar Anis, Director General of the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS), mentioned that today, Asia has become one of the major centers of global development, with 60 percent of the global population.

Describing CICA as an excellent platform for addressing many challenges, the Director General emphasized that this organization has great potential in fostering dialogue between member countries, putting forward joint initiatives and promoting international cooperation mechanisms.

Other speakers at the session included Sri Lankan representative Wijesinghe Arachchige Sulochana Madhubhashini Wijayasinghe from the Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies, Kirill Babayev, Director of the Institute of China and Contemporary Asia, Chairman of the National CICA Research Center, Jirayudh Sinthuphan, Deputy Director of the Institute of Asian Studies, Mohsen Mohammadi, researcher from the Institute for Political and International Studies of Iran, Nutan Kapoor Mahawar, Acting Director General of the Indian Council of World Affairs (ICWA), Chheng Kimlong, President of the Asia Vision Institute of Cambodia, and Saidhomid Sharifzoda, Head of the Department for Analysis and Forecasting of Regional Security Issues at the Center for Strategic Studies under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan. The speakers highlighted the current geopolitical challenges that have profoundly impacted countries, emphasizing the importance of implementing the sustainable security vision through comprehensive cooperation, as well as building an open and inclusive framework for cooperation.

The session continued with live discussions on the topic.