DUSHANBE, January 24, Asia-Plus - The next ministerial meeting of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from March 12 to March this year, according to the Tajik MFA information department.  

Representative from the MFA information department said that issues related to holding of this meeting were one of major topics of Deputy Foreign Minister Saymoumin Yatimov’s discussions with Kazakh Ambassador to Tajikistan Yerlan Abildayev.  The two also discussed other issues being of mutual interest.  

The Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) is a developing international security forum in Central Asia. CICA was launched by Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev in 1992 as the first step of a four-step process that may culminate in the creation of a transcontinental “Conference on Security and Cooperation in Eurasia.”  CICA has issued several key documents including a Declaration of Principles, Declaration of Eliminating Terrorism and Promoting Dialogue among Civilization, and the Almaty Act. Member-states seek to enlarge cooperation, and create and strengthen the atmosphere of peace, confidence, and friendship on the Asian continent in order to promote regional security.

CICA’s working bodies include the Head of States and Governments Meetings (summits) which occur every four years and serve as the supreme body of the Conference; the Minister of Foreign Affairs Meetings which occur every two years and advance consideration of all CICA-related activities; the Committee of Senior Officials which meets at least once a year and whose role it is to observe implementation of previous CICA decisions, conduct consultations on relevant current issues of the CICA, and consider the Special Working Groups activities; the Special Working Groups, formed upon the decision of the Senior Officials Committee for examination of issues referred to different spheres of CICA activities and realization of defined tasks. In addition, the member-states established a Secretariat that provides the administrative support for the regular meetings, political consultations, and other activities mentioned in the Almaty Act. The Secretariat’s activities are regulated by the Provision of the CICA Secretariat. The Secretariat’s seat is in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

CICA Member States: Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, China, Egypt, India, Israel, Iran, Kyrgyz, Mongolia, Pakistan, “State of Palestine,” Russia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.

CICA Observers States: Indonesia, Japan, Republic of Korea, Ukraine, and the United States.  International organizations such as the United Nations and the OSCE have also been involved in an observer capacity.