BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 16.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) of Azerbaijan has
congratulated Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Kenya, Sultan Hajiyev, on
his appointment as the new Secretary General of the Conference on
Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) for the
2026–2030 term.


This was reflected in a post by the MFA on its X account.


“Wishing him every success in this important role and in
advancing CICA’s objectives of strengthening dialogue, mutual trust
and cooperation across Asia,” the post emphasized.


CICA is an international forum aimed at strengthening peace,
security, and stability in Asia. The idea for establishing the
organization was proposed by the First President of Kazakhstan,
Nursultan Nazarbayev, on October 5, 1992, during the 47th session
of the UN General Assembly. The primary objective of CICA is to
expand dialogue and cooperation among member states, foster trust,
and contribute to the creation of a common and indivisible security
space in Asia.


The foundational documents of the organization are the
Declaration on the Principles Guiding Relations between the CICA
Member States, adopted in 1999, and the Almaty Act, adopted in
2002. Currently, CICA comprises 28 member states, while 10
countries and 5 international organizations, including the UN, hold
observer status. The supreme decision-making body of the
organization is the Council of Heads of State and Government. The
CICA Secretariat is located in Astana, Kazakhstan. On December 17,
2024, the Chairmanship of the CICA passed to Azerbaijan. During
this period, concrete results have been achieved across the
strategic priority areas defined under the country’s theme: "A
Stronger CICA: Connectivity, Digitalization, and Sustainable
Development in Asia."


Decisive steps have been taken to foster closer cooperation
within the CICA framework, advance its institutional development,
and promote its goals and principles on international
platforms.


At a time when transnational threats and challenges to
international and regional peace, stability, and sustainable
development are on the rise, efforts have been made to strengthen
CICA’s cooperation with other international and regional
organizations that share similar principles and objectives.
Notably, upon the initiative of Azerbaijan, the CICA Council of
Ministers adopted a statement on the "80th Anniversary of the
Founding of the United Nations" during an informal meeting held in
New York on September 25, 2025, on the sidelines of the High-Level
Week of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly. The Statement
of the Council of Ministers highly commended the efforts made
during Azerbaijan’s chairmanship of the CICA.


Throughout 2025–2026, the Secretary-General of the CICA paid
multiple visits to Azerbaijan, during which discussions and
consultations were held regarding Azerbaijan’s chairmanship of the
organization.


On October 15, 2026, the 7th Summit of CICA was held in Baku.
Key outcomes of the Summit included the adoption of the Baku
Declaration and a Statement on Occupational Health and Safety, as
well as the granting of full member status to Laos. Furthermore,
Azerbaijan’s Chairmanship of the organization was extended for the
2026–2028 period, in recognition of the country’s effective
leadership.