Almaty to host CICA Senior Officials meeting

New Delhi, Oct 12 (UNI) Senior officials from member countries of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), including India, will meet in Almaty (Kazakhstan) on October 17 to mark the 15th anniversary of the CICA initiative.

The CICA member countries including India, Pakistan, Russia, China, Israel, Iran, Egypt, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, Mongolia, Palestine and Mongolia, will deliberate on the progress made by the organisation so far and establishment of contacts with organisations like the SCO, OIC and EurAsEC. The CICA membership expanded to 18 with the inclusion of Republic of Korea and Thailand.

The CICA initiative was put forward by Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev while addressing the UN General Assembly on October five, 1992.

Mr Jandos Asanov, Executive Director of CICA, while lauding India's contribution at preliminary and subsequent Ministerial and Summit-level meetings of the CICA, hoped that India would play a constructive and leading role for realisation of the Confidence-Building Measures (CBMs) for creating a common and indivisible area of security in Asia.

Mr Asanov said India had been associated with the CICA process right from the beginning and viewed the proposal as a positive development and extended full support to it.

''India made positive contribution at the preliminary meetings when the concept of CICA was being developed as well as at subsequent Ministerial and Summit meetings. It is also sponsoring professional staff for the CICA Secretariat...It is hoped that India will take a constructive and leading role for realisation of the Confidence Building Measures,'' he added.

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