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.
