Baku to Host the Seventh CICA Summit
On October 15, Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, will become the focal point of Asian diplomacy as it hosts the Seventh Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA). Organized by the Azerbaijani Chairmanship with the support of the CICA Secretariat, this major international forum will bring together heads of state and government from member countries, leaders of prominent international organizations, and official delegations from observer states.
The primary objective of the upcoming meeting is to reaffirm the collective commitment of the continent's nations to equitable dialogue, multilateralism, and the strengthening of confidence-building measures to ensure long-term peace, security, and socio-economic stability.
The summit agenda focuses on the most pressing issues regarding practical cooperation in Asia. Leaders will concentrate on sustainable economic growth, the development of transport and logistics connectivity, and the acceleration of digitalization. Furthermore, participants will discuss the organization's continued institutional development and the transformation of the forum into a more effective mechanism for regional cooperation.
The forum will culminate in the adoption of the Baku Declaration and a package of substantive decisions outlining priority areas for joint action in the near term.
As Asia’s largest dialogue platform, CICA unites 28 states, encompassing approximately 90% of Asia's territory and population. Turkmenistan has held observer status in CICA since 2021. Turkmenistan’s model of permanent neutrality aligns perfectly with CICA’s objectives of establishing an indivisible security space across Asia.
During a meeting held in Ashgabat in March 2026 between Turkmenistan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Akhmet Gurbanov and CICA Secretary General Kairat Sarybay, special emphasis was placed on Turkmenistan’s proposal to establish a permanent forum dedicated to security, peace, and development. Amidst the region's current turbulence, such a platform is viewed as a necessary mechanism for preventive diplomacy. The two sides also outlined a cooperation roadmap covering four areas: transport and energy (aligning CICA’s logistics strategies with Turkmenistan’s potential); ecology and food security—issues of particular relevance given climate change and supply chain disruptions; implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy; and the consolidation of efforts to stabilize Afghanistan.
