ASTANA—Kazakhstan concluded its four-year chairmanship of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), advancing its institutional growth. In an interview with Kazakhstanskaya Pravda on Dec. 25, CICA Secretary General Kairat Sarybay discussed Kazakhstan’s pivotal role in transforming CICA into a full-fledged international organization.
CICA Secretary General Kairat Sarybay discusses Kazakhstan’s pivotal role in transforming CICA into a full-fledged international organization. Photo credit: Kazakhstanskaya Pravda
Sarybay described CICA’s transformation as a natural progression reflecting the institution’s evolution since its inception over 30 years ago. “As President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized at the Astana Summit, we are not creating a new organization but moving to a new stage of institutional development,” he said.
During Kazakhstan’s tenure, the number of Member States increased to 28, with Kuwait joining in 2022 and Turkmenistan and Saudi Arabia attaining observer status. Morocco’s application for observer status is currently being considered. Sarybay noted that this expansion highlights the relevance of CICA in fostering cooperation in Asia.
“We say that the ‘time of Asia’ has come, and it is true – the countries of the region are global leaders in political, economic, cultural, technological and educational areas. It is the most populous and fastest-growing continent. Given that perspective, a platform that can elevate cooperation among the countries of the continent and strengthen their ties and interactions is more in demand than ever,” said Sarybay.
Sarybay added that there is a growing demand for dialogue amid geopolitical turbulence, emphasizing that new realities necessitate transforming CICA into a more effective institution.
Transformation and institutional strengthening
The transformation of CICA was officially initiated at the Sixth Summit in Astana in 2022. By 2023, the CICA foreign ministers approved a roadmap for the process, which included establishing the Council of Heads of State and the Council of Foreign Ministers and upgrading the Secretariat’s Executive Director to Secretary-General to reflect its elevated status.
Sarybay noted efforts to strengthen CICA’s legal framework, including discussions on the Charter and Rules of Procedure, a signed protocol enhancing the Secretariat’s international profile, and new modalities for confidence-building measures to foster more effective collaboration among Member States.
“However, in its current operational format, the Secretariat’s capacity is limited. First of all, I am referring to the need to review the HR policy, as we require more professionals to support the ever-increasing workload and must move towards mandatory contributions from the Member States to finance the Secretariat’s activities. This directly affects our performance and, consequently, the performance of CICA,” added Sarybay.
Kazakhstan’s chairmanship also institutionalized key initiatives such as the CICA Fund and the Council of Eminent Persons while revitalizing existing structures such as the Business Council and Youth Council. The latter addressed pressing youth issues, including deradicalization, human capital development and volunteerism.
“In this context, Kazakhstan and President Tokayev made a meaningful contribution by hosting the first CICA Rally of Volunteers in Astana, an event that resulted in volunteerism being added to the Conference’s Catalogue of Confidence Building Measures,” said Sarybay.
The Kazakhstan Chairmanship prioritized the climate agenda, with President Tokayev proposing a ministerial meeting on environmental issues to establish lasting councils and platforms. “At this conference, CICA Member States demonstrated a shared vision and understanding of the need to address these issues. I am confident that the Azerbaijani Chairmanship will carry on this work,” said Sarybay.
Economically, progress was made toward enhancing connectivity and addressing vulnerabilities in transport, transit and logistics exposed by the pandemic and geopolitical crises. A proposed Council on Sustainable Connectivity aims to strengthen Asia’s interconnectedness.
“I would like to point out that creating new institutions within CICA is not about artificially growing ‘tentacles’, but rather a natural process. Decisions regarding the creation of new platforms and councils were based on the actual needs of the Member States. Kazakhstan adopted a pragmatic approach to institutional development and strengthening of the Conference – focused solely on the cause, nothing extra,” added Sarybay.
Expanding the catalogue of confidence-building measures
The Catalogue of Confidence Building Measures, which consists of 19 priority areas and is a cornerstone of CICA’s operations, was significantly updated during Kazakhstan’s tenure. Member states introduced new measures, including digital security proposed by Russia and China and initiatives on women’s rights and youth engagement led by Uzbekistan.
“The Catalogue is a living and flexible document because, in addition to a number of basic traditional directions, new confidence-building measures are regularly incorporated into it based on practical experience and current realities,” said Sarybay.
Azerbaijan takes over
In December 2024, Azerbaijan assumed the chairmanship, focusing on completing the transformation of CICA into a fully-fledged international organization by adopting its charter at the 2026 Summit. The new chairmanship will continue many of Kazakhstan’s initiatives, including promoting volunteerism, which, according to Sarybay, shows the organization’s consistency and continuity.
“Azerbaijan’s Chairmanship will be grounded in the theme of Stronger CICA, Connectivity, Digitalization and Sustainable Growth in Asia. The areas in focus are the completion of the transformation of the Conference, the promotion of sectoral cooperation through the effective implementation of confidence-building measures, particularly in the economic dimension, and increasing the international visibility and influence of CICA through building synergy and interaction with other international organizations,” said Sarybay.
Building CICA’s global profile and expanding external relations
“From the very beginning, a key idea of CICA was its openness to all countries, continents, international and regional organizations. This is not an exclusive club where Asian countries gather and solve their own issues. We strive to broaden relations with all constructive players as much as possible,” said Sarybay.
He emphasized CICA’s collaborative approach, noting that the ‘CICA family’ includes Member States, dialogue partners and numerous international organizations. Key partners include the United Nations (UN), which has cooperation spanning socio-economic development, counter-terrorism, and migration management.
Cooperation also includes organizations such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking Countries (TurkPA), the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and the League of Arab States (LAS). Efforts are underway to partner with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
“Why do we need this? First and foremost, the expansion of international relations positively impacts the visibility of CICA and helps us to enhance the effectiveness of our work in specific areas,” said Sarybay.
He added that CICA has a wide range of interests. However, it has no intention of constantly creating new bodies and superstructures for various narrow areas of activity, as there are international organizations that have been working effectively in multiple fields for a long time, and it is better to establish cooperation with them to resolve common issues jointly.
“We need to develop a CICA framework that covers all the key needs of our Member States while avoiding duplication of functions performed by other specialized organizations and agencies. We need to develop our optimal agenda, occupy our unique niche within the entire broader security architecture – global and continental – to be truly relevant and effective,” said Sarybay.
He highlighted the importance of communicating the organization’s relevance to citizens of Member States, ensuring that their participation translates into tangible benefits. Sarybay noted that with its growing influence and pragmatic approach to institutional development, CICA is poised to strengthen its role as a platform for trust-building and cooperation across Asia, ensuring its relevance in addressing regional and global challenges.
