Kairat Sarybay: Azerbaijan's chairmanship to strengthen contacts among CICA-participating states

Azerbaijan has unique experience in the issue of post-conflict reconstruction, Azernews reports, citing CICA Secretary General Ambassador Kairat Sarybay as he told a briefing.

Sarybay also noted that post-conflict rehabilitation is taking place in solidarity with the international community.

According to Sarybay, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov confirmed that the CICA transformation process will continue.

“We are talking about improving the institutional basis of the CICA, including the adoption of the charter. Until today, the function of the charter was performed by the Almaty Act, but there is an urgent need to change the charter,” he noted.

“The CICA unites even those countries that do not have diplomatic relations with each other. I really hope that the upcoming period of Azerbaijan’s chairmanship will contribute to the development of the process of contacts among the CICA participating countries,” Sarybay said.

He also noted that Azerbaijan’s chairmanship will begin after the meeting of the foreign ministers of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan.

“The transfer of chairmanship from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan will take place during the meeting of our two ministers in Baku,” he emphasised.

He also touched on Climate Change issue in the world.

"The international community must collectively solve the problems of climate change, and the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) countries, which have great experience in combating it, can become active participants in the process," Sarybay added.

The Secretary General noted that an integrated approach and the joint efforts of world leaders are needed to combat the consequences of climate change.

Speaking about this problem at the regional level in the countries of the Caspian Sea basin, the Secretary General emphasised that the countries are committed to cooperation in this matter.

"All five Caspian littoral states are members of the CICA and actively participate in joint events and exchange experience with each other," he said.

K. Sarybay said that logistics hubs have experience in planning in a way that will not harm the environment.

Recall that yesterday, on April 17, Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, received Kairat Sarybay, Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia. During the conversation, they noted the great potential of this organisation in contributing to strengthening peace and security and the confidence-building process in Asia.

The meeting saw discussions on holding various events for this organisation within the framework of COP29, consideration of the green transportation concept, and other sectoral cooperation issues.

It is worth noting that Azerbaijan confirmed its commitment to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by 35 percent by 2030 and increase this target by 40 percent by 2050. Fulfilling the commitments under the Paris Agreement adopted in 2015 and actively working in this regard are priority issues for the government of Azerbaijan.

Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, will host the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 29) for the first time in the region from November 11–22, 2024. The decision was made at the plenary session of COP28 on December 11.