Kazakhstan to Pass CICA Chairmanship to Azerbaijan

Kazakhstan will officially transfer the Chairmanship of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) to Azerbaijan during the Seventh Ministerial Council (MC) meeting, scheduled to be held online on December 17, 2024, The Caspian Post reports citing Trend.

This marks the conclusion of Kazakhstan's 2020-2024 tenure and the beginning of Azerbaijan's 2024-2026 Chairmanship.

The foreign ministers of CICA"s 28 Member States will discuss pressing regional and global issues, including peace, security, and the evolving geopolitical landscape. The meeting is also expected to result in the adoption of key documents, including a statement marking the 25th anniversary of CICA"s founding principles established in 1999.

Among the anticipated outcomes is the creation of a CICA network of universities to promote academic and scientific cooperation, a proposal initially introduced by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in 2022. Additionally, ministers are expected to expand confidence-building measures (CBMs) by including volunteerism as a new area of collaboration and adopting a framework to enhance the effectiveness of CBMs.

Azerbaijan will host the next CICA Summit in 2026, concluding its Chairmanship term.