In his speech, the Head of State thanked Emomali Rahmon, President of Tajikistan, for the hospitality, excellent organization of the Summit and congratulations expressed in his address. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev has expressed confidence that the chairmanship of Tajikistan in the CICA will contribute to the active involvement of the Conference in solving the most pressing issues of the Asian area.
The President of Kazakhstan stressed that the idea of holding a Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia, proposed in 1992 at the UN by Nursultan Nazarbayev, has opened a new milestone in the history of the Asian continent.
- At present the CICA is an authoritative multilateral structure uniting 35 states of the Asian region and about half of the population of our planet, the Head of State said.
Noting the outbreak of conflicts and erosion of security mechanisms, trade and sanctions wars, as well as the intensification of international terrorism, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed concern about the growing security threats and ideological and ethnic religious tensions in the region. In this regard, he outlined the need for systemic and integrated approaches to addressing the key issues of Asian security and presented Kazakhstan’s vision on the issue.
- We urge all friends and partners to join efforts for improving the Forum’s efficiency and international competitiveness. For this we need its step-by-step, gradual transformation into a full-fledged regional organization. All the necessary conditions have been created for the CICA’s institutional development, the legal framework has been developed, and its permanent structures work, the President of Kazakhstan said.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted the relevance of Leader of Nation Nursultan Nazarbayev’s initiative on the Three Dialogues to create a global architecture of inclusive development. The Head of State stressed that an integral part of this idea is to ensure the synergy of the CICA and the OSCE potentials to work out plans for cooperation across Eurasia, and subsequently other regional multilateral institutions of Asia and Europe.
- One of the priority issues on the agenda remains to ensure constructive negotiations on controversial issues and the resolution of contradictions at the very initial stage. Therefore, it is quite possible in the near future to build under the auspices of the CICA a full-fledged system of collective security capable of carrying out international mediation, the President of Kazakhstan has suggested.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized the need to develop joint systemic approaches to countering international terrorism. According to him, the Code of Conduct on achieving a world free of terrorism, adopted at the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly and supported by 82 states, could serve as a starting point in developing proposals for the prevention of threats of terrorism in the CICA area.
The Head of State also noted the urgency of expanding practical cooperation among member states in all key areas of the Meeting and proposed creating a special Fund to finance projects, programs and other activities of the Forum. According to the Kazakh President, the Foundation can become an additional incentive for the activities of the CICA Business Council and will give impetus to the growth of the economic well-being of all the States participating in the Meeting.
Another relevant area of cooperation Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called the establishment of high-quality expert support of the Meeting’s activity in all its dimensions.
- It is desirable to strengthen the potential of CICA analytical centers by transforming them into a permanent dialogue platform. We also consider timely a comprehensive study of creating the Council of Wise Men, which would generate proposals for the working bodies of the Conference, the Head of State said.
The President of Kazakhstan noted that actualization of the above initiatives could raise the cooperation of the Meeting’s States Parties to a qualitatively new level, and expressed Kazakhstan’s readiness for full-format cooperation in the framework of the CICA in the interests of all its participants.
On the sidelines of the 5th CICA Heads of State Summit, the President of Kazakhstan has met with the President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The Turkish leader congratulated Kassym-Jomart Tokayev on his victory in the elections and on the official assumption of the Kazakh President’s office. The leaders have discussed prospects for bilateral cooperation, topical issues of the regional and international agenda.
In conclusion, the parties have exchanged invitations to make official visits.
The Meeting has adopted a corresponding declaration following the CICA Fifth Summit.
