Transformation of CICA and its priorities – an exclusive interview with CICA Secretary General
Over the years of independence, Kazakhstan has initiated many projects and programs aimed at strengthening security, stability and sustainable development at the regional and global levels. One of the country's first initiatives was the proposal to convene the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA). More than 30 years have passed since then.
Kazinform News Agency correspondent talked to the Secretary General of the CICA, Ambassador Kairat Sarybay, about how CICA is developing today and what priorities are on the agenda during Kazakhstan's current chairmanship.
The convening of CICA was one of the first international initiatives of independent Kazakhstan. What are the tasks of CICA today and how is the process of transformation into a full-fledged international organization going?
You are quite right that CICA is going through a serious process of transformation today. What is transformation? It is not just the creation of new bureaucracies or statuses. The transformation of CICA is taking place against the backdrop of the global growth of Asia's role in international affairs. Today Asia is not only an economic engine of world development, but also a trendsetter of technological fashion, the world's largest workshop, generating 2/3 of global growth. Accordingly, Asia's role in political affairs is also growing significantly. We see major Asian states taking part in addressing many global issues, including conflict resolution and peacekeeping, as well as important global policy issues such as climate change and others.
Thus, the transformation of CICA implies that cooperation within our organization should reach a new high level corresponding to the global influence of Asia in solving urgent problems. The main task is to adequately develop CICA and transform it into a full-fledged international structure. During 30 years of its evolution, CICA has achieved significant success: systemic relations have been built, permanent institutions operate, there are governing bodies and an executive body - the secretariat. We have almost all the attributes of an international organization.
However, unresolved issues remain. Some management practices and modalities of cooperation require further improvement. There is also no avoiding the creation of new structures that will help to better unlock the potential of Asian cooperation. This is what CICA is living today as it implements the transformation statement adopted at the 2022 Summit and prepares for a smooth transition of the chairmanship from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan in November this year.
What are the main initiatives and priorities of Kazakhstan under the current chairmanship of the CICA for the period from 2020 to 2024?
Kazakhstan assumed the Chairmanship in 2020. It has been a difficult period for the whole of humanity, nevertheless, over the past four years we can note serious progress in the development of our organization. First of all, the fundamental decision of the 2022 Summit to transform CICA into a full-fledged international organization. Promising initiatives have been implemented. For example, we managed to institutionalize several previously proposed initiatives, such as the transformation of the forum of think tanks into a permanent structure. The President spoke about this back in 2019 at the summit in Dushanbe. Also, the initiative to create the Council of Wise Men has been realized: the Council of Wise Men has been created, a regulation has been developed, and a chairman has been elected. Although for some reasons the work has not yet begun, this is a significant achievement.
By decision of the Heads of State and Government, the CICA Fund was established, which contributes to the implementation of confidence-building measures and can serve as a source of funding for certain development projects, including those of a cross-border nature. The work of our standing bodies, such as the business and youth councils, has improved considerably. Significant progress has been made. Each year, the business council brings together State members to discuss pressing SME issues, as well as current issues in the context of the pandemic, the increasing role of information and communications technology and food security. For example, how SMEs can reap the benefits of artificial intelligence. These and other issues are addressed in the business council. In parallel, business forums are held, where entrepreneurs communicate, establish international ties, and make agreements, which brings practical benefits from the work of CICA.
The youth council has serious potential. I would like to note a very important initiative of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev - this year, for the first time, an international youth council will be held at the ministerial level. The topic is volunteering. Volunteering is the optimal interaction between the government and civil society. Where the government lacks resources, volunteer organizations can help. By holding a gathering of leaders of volunteer organizations, we pay due attention to this social phenomenon. In addition, the youth council discussed important issues such as deradicalization of youth. We discussed ways to protect young people from extremist ideas circulating in the blogosphere and on various platforms.
In the framework of the Youth Council in Astana in 2022, there was a wide exchange of views on how government members promote academic exchange of students. Kazakhstan presented the Bolashak program with all its pros and the experience of this ambitious project. How young people can prove themselves in politics was also discussed. We invited the youth wing of the Parliamentary Association of the Turkic Community. Young parliamentarians from Turkic-speaking countries spoke about their experience of political participation and work with youth.
One of the major tasks set by the President within the framework of Kazakhstan's chairmanship in CICA is to create a partnership network of leading universities. Significant progress has been made on this issue. The partnership network is ready, a committee of senior officials has reviewed and recommended for approval at the forthcoming meeting of the Council of Ministers a regulation on the partnership network of leading universities. There are already several university candidates who would like to lead the network. Consultations and negotiations are ongoing, among them L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University and other leading universities, including universities from Azerbaijan.
Considering the ever-increasing role of Asia, including in the sphere of transport corridors, can we say that the scope of CICA's activities is also expanding?
Within CICA, we are discussing today how we can increase connectivity in Asia. You understand that economic development is impossible without reliable and sustainable transportation routes and harmonious passage of goods across customs borders. It is difficult to talk about economic development if the transportation component from point A to point B is costly. No matter how much you introduce new technologies into production, your goods will be uncompetitive if transportation costs are high.
In addition, during the pandemic, we unfortunately faced significant transportation difficulties, and States had to make additional arrangements to ensure that the most needed medicines and goods crossed borders without hindrance. To create a more sustainable system of connectivity within Asia, we are studying in detail the proposals of the President of Kazakhstan to create a council on sustainable connectivity.
Transportation today is an extremely important component. It is also very important that transportation routes are environmentally friendly, that green technologies are used and that there is minimal harm to the environment.
One of CICA's partners is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Astana is hosting the SCO Leaders' Summit. Can you tell us how the interaction between the two large-scale organizations is built today?
After the Astana Summit, the SCO will acquire a Eurasian contour. In our charter documents, we decided to limit ourselves to the Asian contingent. The accession of Belarus as a full member makes the SCO a Eurasian security structure, and I congratulate the Kazakhstani Chairmanship and all member states on this significant achievement. This is an important event.
As for our partnership relations, my colleague, Secretary General of the SCO Zhang Ming and I recently exchanged congratulations on the 10th anniversary of our partnership. It should be noted that today 9 members of the SCO are also members of CICA. Thus, CICA has a vast geography. Our organization reflects a more flexible approach to the implementation of agreements, as in both CICA and the SCO all decisions are taken by consensus, which demonstrates the inclusive approach of both structures: no decisions are taken without the consent of all participants. However, in the case of the SCO, all decisions are binding. It is an organization of like-minded people, with its own internal discipline and more structured areas of cooperation.
As far as CICA is concerned, we have very similar mandates to the SCO, but we are more focused on confidence-building measures. What does that mean? In the vast Asian continent, unfortunately, there are conflicts, some of them acute. Unfortunately, civilians suffer, and terrorism continues to manifest itself in the most unsightly form. Undoubtedly, we must fight this evil. Therefore, within CICA, confidence-building measures are needed to minimize the impact of these conflicts, or at best to try to help the parties resolve them.
Trust must first be established so that a dialogue can emerge between the countries. On that basis, cooperation can be built, and then development will emerge. And then we will serve the cause of security and peace. There are no acute conflicts in the SCO in the hot phase. There are agreements that some problems will be solved in a bilateral format. That is why we say that CICA and the SCO have many good things in common, but there are differences in modalities, which is also correct. In this way we create complementarity, that is, we complement each other.
Some techniques in regional security can be tested within the more cohesive and disciplined SCO group. If successful, this experience can be extended to the wider CICA space. The so-called Outreach approach, with the SCO as the core and CICA as the outreach platform.
Many CICA states would also like to know what is happening on the SCO platform. Therefore, our partnership ensures this information flow. We also cooperate with the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure, which is located in Tashkent. Thus, I would like to emphasize that CICA and the SCO in no way compete but complement each other. Thanks to mutual invitations, representatives of the Secretariat of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization take part in our events, and vice versa. One striking example is the successful experience of conferences on new challenges and threats organized by the SCO Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure.
The agenda of the SCO summit in Astana includes a wide range of topical issues of political, trade and economic, cultural and humanitarian interaction. Are these issues discussed within the framework of CICA? Are there any priority areas and tasks?
I have already said that our mandates are similar. However, the approaches to implementing the agreements differ. Therefore, the areas to be discussed within the SCO will certainly be of interest to the whole of Asia, given the weight of the SCO member states and the relevance of the chosen topics in today's highly unstable world, where geopolitical trends sometimes bring us to a dangerous brink. I would like to wish success to the SCO so that the peace and cooperation agenda dominates. I also hope that within the framework of CICA we will promote cooperation and dialogue to build trust. More trust - less conflict. Success to the SCO summit, and I hope that we will continue to interact after the next stage of SCO development.
China is also one of the founding countries of CICA. How do you assess the role of China in the process of formation and development of the organization?
It is a very important partner, a significant state. China's contribution, both political and material, is very significant. China chaired the CICA from 2014 to 2018. You will recall that the One Belt and One Road initiative was announced by the Chinese leadership in 2014, after the Silk Road Economic Belt was announced in Astana in 2013.
Regarding CICA, China is the focal point for a number of areas, including finance and agriculture. China is engaged in substantive topics that provide real returns for the citizens of all our states. The more interaction we have in agriculture, the more we will learn about new technologies and the more products we will hopefully have on our shelves. The same goes for financial activity. China has hosted as many as three financial summits, which were highly praised by member states. That is why one of Kassym-Jomart Tokayev's initiatives was to institutionalize the financial summit, making it a good platform for discussing pressing issues of financial interaction. Today, the financial system is undergoing serious tests, so a continental-level discussion would be useful. China has taken the initiative in this sense.
In addition, there are several other forums - the Think Tank Forum and the Forum of Non-Governmental Organizations. The Think Tank Forum has been transformed into a permanent institution. It is no longer just an initiative of China, but a common project of all 28 CICA member countries. Therefore, China's contribution can hardly be overemphasized. China's global initiatives are very much in line with the issues on our agenda. I am grateful to the People's Republic of China for its continuous initiatives within CICA and for the material resources that the Government of China contributes to the budget of our Secretariat. It is the No. 2 donor. China has also consistently sent highly qualified diplomats to work in the secretariat. One of them received a high award from the President last year.
