Jeyhun Bayramov meets with CICA Secretary-General

On October 16, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met with Kairat Sarybay, Secretary-General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).

According to information provided to TodayPress TV by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the sides exchanged views on the outcomes of the 7th CICA Summit, held in Baku on October 15; activities carried out during Azerbaijan’s 2024–2026 CICA chairmanship; the priorities of Azerbaijan’s chairmanship and the organisation for the coming period; and institutional development.

The importance of successfully holding the 7th Summit under Azerbaijan’s chairmanship was emphasised in terms of strengthening dialogue, mutual understanding and trust across Asia. Confidence was expressed that the summit’s outcomes would contribute to further strengthening the organisation’s activities, expanding cooperation among member states and promoting joint approaches to common challenges.

The sides highlighted the importance of the agreements reached in the summit’s final documents for determining the future direction of CICA’s activities and increasing the organisation’s focus on practical results.

Noting Azerbaijan’s extensive experience in multilateral diplomacy and its successful chairmanships of international organisations, the sides emphasised that Azerbaijan’s CICA chairmanship is aimed at enhancing the organisation’s international role and standing, expanding cooperation opportunities among member states and promoting confidence-building measures.

The meeting also addressed efforts undertaken during Azerbaijan’s chairmanship to accelerate CICA’s institutional development, improve the effectiveness of its activities and increase its practical benefits for member states. Particular emphasis was placed on developing cooperation in education, women’s empowerment, youth affairs, media, transport connectivity and other areas, as well as on the importance of platforms established in these fields. It was noted that the initiatives implemented serve to facilitate the exchange of experience among member states, strengthen mutual understanding and create concrete opportunities for cooperation.

Secretary-General Kairat Sarybay expressed his gratitude to the Azerbaijani side for the high-level organisation of the 7th CICA Summit and Azerbaijan’s contributions to the organisation’s activities during its chairmanship. He also thanked Azerbaijan for the support provided throughout his six-year tenure as Secretary-General.

Sarybay noted the importance of Azerbaijan’s chairmanship for CICA’s development, expanding cooperation within the organisation and strengthening trust among member states. He expressed confidence that efforts to reinforce the organisation’s activities would continue in the coming period and wished success to the new Secretary-General, Sultan Hajiyev, in his future work.

In turn, Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov thanked Kairat Sarybay for his successful work during his tenure and wished him success in his future professional endeavours.

The meeting also included an exchange of views on other issues of mutual interest.