CICA summit adopts Baku Declaration — Euronews
In Baku, Azerbaijan, participants in the seventh summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) adopted the Baku Declaration, which provides for measures to counter military-political, economic and environmental risks. Member states also unanimously agreed to extend Azerbaijan's chairmanship of CICA for 2026–2028 and admitted Laos to the organization as a new full member, Euronews reports.
Dialogue between states with differing positions
The summit was attended by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, as well as representatives of the Palestinian Authority and states of Central, Southeast and South Asia.
During Herzog's address, some delegations, including those of Türkiye, Iran, Kuwait and Pakistan, left the hall. At the same time, Qatar's emir, as well as the delegations of the UAE and Bahrain, remained to listen to the Israeli president. Herzog said that Israel is focused on practical cooperation and shared interests.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called for a diplomatic settlement between the United States and Iran and stressed the need to preserve unimpeded navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea. Palestinian Authority Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin spoke about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and called for UN Security Council Resolution 2803 to be implemented as soon as possible to ensure a permanent ceasefire.
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Corridors, digital connectivity and artificial intelligence
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed developing a CICA transport connectivity strategy that would link key routes in Asia, including the Belt and Road Initiative, the Middle Corridor and the Caspian Green Energy Corridor. He said economic cooperation can reduce tensions and strengthen trust between states.
The presidents of Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan also officially opened the Trans-Caspian fiber-optic cable line laid along the bottom of the Caspian Sea. It is intended to strengthen digital connectivity between China, Central Asia and Europe via the Black Sea as part of the broader Middle Corridor project.
Artificial intelligence safety was a separate topic. According to the outlet, the Baku Declaration for the first time enshrined CICA's common multilateral approach to balancing economic opportunities and security risks associated with AI. Tokayev proposed including artificial intelligence among one of the organization's key areas of work, while Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev advocated creating an expert platform to develop ethical standards.
