{"id":69726,"date":"2026-10-17T14:54:06","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T14:54:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/?p=69726"},"modified":"2026-10-17T16:18:27","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T16:18:27","slug":"cica-summit-baku-azerbaijan-promoting-multilateralism-bringing-waring-parties-the-table-enhancing-connectivity-digitization-by-tazeen-akhtar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/cica-summit-baku-azerbaijan-promoting-multilateralism-bringing-waring-parties-the-table-enhancing-connectivity-digitization-by-tazeen-akhtar\/","title":{"rendered":"CICA Summit Baku Azerbaijan | Promoting Multilateralism | Bringing Waring Parties @ the Table | Enhancing Connectivity &#038; Digitization &#8211; by Tazeen Akhtar"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-69733\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/CICA-Baku-Azerbaijan-web.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"700\" height=\"467\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/CICA-Baku-Azerbaijan-web.jpg 700w, https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/CICA-Baku-Azerbaijan-web-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/CICA-Baku-Azerbaijan-web-696x464.jpg 696w, https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/CICA-Baku-Azerbaijan-web-630x420.jpg 630w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px\" \/>Tazeen Akhtar | Islamabad<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-69464 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Tazeen-Akhtar-Anaylyst-Pakistan-web-e1791724421714.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"100\" height=\"131\" \/><span style=\"color: #008000;\"><strong>The 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), held in Baku, Azerbaijan on October 15, 2026, aimed to strengthen regional dialogue, peace, security, and institutional development across Asia. Chaired by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the high-level meeting gathered heads of state, ministers, and international delegations under the theme \u201cA Stronger CICA: Connectivity, Digitalization and Sustainable Growth in Asia.\u201d Leaders focused on artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure, with several calling for international standards to manage emerging technological risks.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The conference highlighted practical collaboration across CICA&#8217;s five core dimensions: military-political, economic, environmental, human, and new challenges\/threats\u2014with a strong emphasis on transport corridors, green tourism, and digital transformation.<\/p>\n<p>Formalising the summit\u2019s core outcomes, member states officially adopted the Baku Declaration containing 36 points, which outlined measures to counter military-political, economic and ecological risks, and called for greater intercivilizational dialogue, tolerance and educational innovation.The Declaration reinforced a collective commitment to multilateralism, regional security, transport links, and sustainable growth amidst global uncertainties.<\/p>\n<p>Crucially, the declaration also establishes CICA\u2019s first unified multilateral consensus on balancing the economic opportunities and security risks arising from artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n<p>The summit concluded with a unanimous agreement to extend Azerbaijan\u2019s CICA chairmanship for an additional two-year term covering 2026-2028, alongside the formal admission of Laos as the organisation\u2019s newest full member state.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"YrhHF2xEhE\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/cica-summit-azerbaijan-2026-leaders-outline-the-measures-to-counter-military-political-risks-call-for-greater-intercivilizational-dialogue\/\">CICA Summit Azerbaijan 2026 : Leaders Outline the Measures to Counter Military-Political Risks | Call for Greater Intercivilizational Dialogue<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;CICA Summit Azerbaijan 2026 : Leaders Outline the Measures to Counter Military-Political Risks | Call for Greater Intercivilizational Dialogue&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/cica-summit-azerbaijan-2026-leaders-outline-the-measures-to-counter-military-political-risks-call-for-greater-intercivilizational-dialogue\/embed\/#?secret=LeIamUqrFy#?secret=YrhHF2xEhE\" data-secret=\"YrhHF2xEhE\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"x14z9mp xat24cr x1lziwak x1vvkbs xtlvy1s x126k92a\">\n<div dir=\"auto\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>The Declaration also lamented increased tensions, use of force, and humanitarian consequences of armed conflicts, including loss of civilian lives and damage to civilian infrastructure, and emphasized that peace, security and development are interlinked.<\/strong><\/span><\/div>\n<div dir=\"auto\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>To address transport logistics,<strong> Kazakhstan\u2019s Tokayev<\/strong> proposed drafting a CICA Transport Connectivity Strategy to link major routes, including the Belt and Road, the Middle Corridor, and the Caspian Green Energy Corridor, alongside Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan.<\/p>\n<p>Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan&#8217;s presidents also officially inaugurated the <strong>Trans-Caspian fibre-optic cable line<\/strong> on the Caspian seabed, which will increase digital connectivity between Asia and Europe from China and Central Asia towards Europe through the Black Sea as a key component of the wider strategic Middle Corridor project.<\/p>\n<p>Foreign Minister China Wang Yi called for a diplomatic settlement between the US and Iran and said that \u201ckey shipping lanes like the <strong>Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea<\/strong> should stay unimpeded,\u201d because \u201cthe complex evolution of the Middle East situation is having a profound impact on the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He also called for restraint in the <strong>Yemen fighting<\/strong> and said that \u201cthe question of Palestine should be brought back onto the right track of the two-state solution at an early date.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Key Purposes and Objectives<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Motto &amp; Focus: Guided by the theme &#8220;Stronger CICA: Connectivity, Digitalization and Sustainable Growth in Asia,&#8221; the summit focused on deepening results-oriented cooperation.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Institutional Transformation: Reviewed progress in transforming CICA from a regional dialogue forum into a full-fledged international organization (following the 2022 transformation process), and worked toward finalizing the draft CICA Charter.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Expanding Membership: Formally admitted the Lao People&#8217;s Democratic Republic (Laos) as CICA&#8217;s 29th member state.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Leadership Extension: Extended Azerbaijan&#8217;s CICA Chairmanship for an additional two-year term (2026\u20132028) and approved Ambassador Sultan Hajiyev as the new CICA Secretary-General for 2026\u20132030.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"QQgyAhpDx1\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/cica-summit-baku-brings-israeli-president-deputy-fm-iran-one-place-jew-leader-fm-bahrain-hold-delegation-level-meeting\/\">CICA Summit Baku Brings Israeli President , Deputy FM Iran @ One Place | Jew Leader &#038; FM Bahrain hold Delegation Level Meeting<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;CICA Summit Baku Brings Israeli President , Deputy FM Iran @ One Place | Jew Leader &#038; FM Bahrain hold Delegation Level Meeting&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/cica-summit-baku-brings-israeli-president-deputy-fm-iran-one-place-jew-leader-fm-bahrain-hold-delegation-level-meeting\/embed\/#?secret=URbVrJLHbg#?secret=QQgyAhpDx1\" data-secret=\"QQgyAhpDx1\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><strong>President Ilham Aliyev highlighted Azerbaijan\u2019s role as a vital transit hub bridging Asia and Europe.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Key Highlights of the Address<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Accession and Leadership: Aliyev welcomed Laos as the 29th CICA member and thanked states for extending Azerbaijan&#8217;s chairmanship through 2028.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Foreign Policy &amp; Security: He highlighted Azerbaijan&#8217;s role as a Eurasian bridge, grounded in sovereign equality, and noted that regional peace post-Garabagh restoration remains fragile.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 CICA Priorities: Chairmanship efforts centered on connectivity, digitalization, environment, and education<\/p>\n<p><strong>Discussions focused heavily on expanding cooperation across CICA&#8217;s core operational dimensions, focusing closely on:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Connectivity: Developing robust transport corridors, trade routes, and infrastructure links across Eurasia.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Digitalization &amp; Green Policy: Aligning regional economies with digital network infrastructure and eco-friendly practices, including welcoming the review of the &#8220;Circular Green Tourism&#8221; initiative.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Institutional Expansion: Celebrating the successful establishment of the CICA Women Council and the institutionalization of the CICA Finance Summit under the current chairmanship<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Core Principles &amp; Dimensions: Reaffirmed adherence to foundational international frameworks and the five dimensions of confidence-building measures.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Institutional Milestones: Commended progress under Azerbaijan&#8217;s chairmanship, introduced a multilateral approach to artificial intelligence risks and opportunities, and emphasized regional connectivity.<\/p>\n<p>The summit served as an active geopolitical forum. Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan used his address to urge member states to take a strong, collective stance supporting Palestinian rights and advocating for a sovereign Palestinian state. Highlighting the friction within the forum, delegations from Pakistan and other member states staged a walkout during a speech delivered by the Israeli president.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, high-level representatives from strategic regional organizations, such as Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Secretary-General Nurlan Yermekbayev and UN Special Representative Kaha Imnadze, attended to bolster inter-organizational synergies for Central Asian security and counter-terrorism initiatives.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Conclusion: <\/strong>The conference brought rival sides under one roof, facilitating interaction and exchange of views between some of them. Palestine and Iran were there, while Israel was represented by its Head of State. The Middle East needs urgent de-escalation, as conflicts in different corners of this region have engulfed the world in a crisis, mainly in the form of energy shortages and inflation. This aspect of the conference is being appreciated, but it can certainly contribute only a little, and expecting a solution to security issues at this stage would not be wise.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The Summit was attended by:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The summit was attended by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Khalifa bin Shaheen Al Marar, and a Palestinian delegation led by Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin. They were joined by the Presidents of Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, as well as Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Heads of State and Government from Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, India and Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"JTmvK14ixA\"><p><a href=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-in-the-world-september-2026\/\">Pakistan in the World \u2013 September 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><iframe class=\"wp-embedded-content\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" style=\"position: absolute; clip: rect(1px, 1px, 1px, 1px);\" title=\"&#8220;Pakistan in the World \u2013 September 2026&#8221; &#8212; Pakistan In the World\" src=\"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/pakistan-in-the-world-september-2026\/embed\/#?secret=Wau1ZWN6BF#?secret=JTmvK14ixA\" data-secret=\"JTmvK14ixA\" width=\"600\" height=\"338\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tazeen Akhtar | Islamabad The 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), held in Baku, Azerbaijan on October 15, 2026, aimed to strengthen regional dialogue, peace, security, and institutional development across Asia. Chaired by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the high-level meeting gathered heads of state, ministers, and international [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":69733,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[1772,1847,7924,343,491,109,111,2217,6385,58,312,1961],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69726"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=69726"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69726\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":69739,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/69726\/revisions\/69739"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/69733"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=69726"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=69726"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=69726"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}