Baku: Modern challenges and threats can only be addressed through dialogue, Bakhtiyor Mustafaev, deputy director of the Institute of Strategic and Regional Studies under the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, said at the 13th Meeting of the CICA Think Tank Forum on the theme “Resonance of Development and Security: Regional Cooperation and Governance in the Institutional Transformation of CICA” in Baku today, Trend reports.
According to Trend News Agency, Mustafaev emphasized the necessity of overcoming modern challenges and threats by engaging in dialogue that respects each other’s interests and adheres to recognized norms of international law. He highlighted the importance of collective responsibility for prosperity and sustainable development and the need for a unified approach to address regional and international security issues.
Mustafaev pointed out the critical need to consolidate efforts to ensure long-term and sustainable peace in Afghanistan. He stressed that restoring the socio-economic situation and implementing major infrastructure projects in Afghanistan could present new strategic opportunities for all countries in the region.
The analyst also emphasized that the ongoing transformation process of the CICA should be practically meaningful. He underlined the importance of strengthening commitment to the organization’s fundamental principles, such as mutual trust, equality, respect for cultural diversity, a desire for joint development, and maintaining the consensus principle in decision-making.
The Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) was proposed by Kazakhstan’s then-President Nursultan Nazarbayev at the 1992 UN General Assembly. The organization’s basic texts, the Declaration on Principles Guiding Relations between CICA Member States and the Almaty Act, were approved in 1999 and 2002, respectively. The CICA plan was well-received by Asian nations, who met over seven years to explore CICA modalities and develop basic documents. On September 14, 1999, the first CICA Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting was attended by 15 member states, during which the Declaration on Principles Guiding Relations was adopted.