President Ebrahim Raisi made the remarks in a meeting with the visiting secretary general of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Kairat Sarybay in Tehran on Tuesday.

Raisi pointed to numerous and diverse capacities and potentials of the CICA for the development of the interactions among the member states and expressed hope that with the support of the member states and a more active role on the part of the secretariat, the position of the organization will be strengthened more than the past.

Declaring Iran’s readiness to transfer and share its experiences, especially in the field of science and technology, economic development and fighting terrorism and organized crime with CICA member states, the president emphasized the need to strengthen inter-regional ‘corridors’.

He went on to stress the importance of constant contact between CICA member states, noting that the trend of international developments is towards multilateralism.

“As unilateralism is on the decline in the world, the countries of the region and regional organizations decide on the future of the region and the world,” the Iranian president said.

The CICA secretary general, for his part, praised Iran’s active participation in hosting the events of the organization, especially in the field of fighting terrorism and economic development, and highlighted Iran’s progress in various fields, including science and technology. He also called for sharing Iran’s experiences in those fields with CICA member states.

Sarybay also expressed his happiness with the decision of CICA heads of member states to found a fund in the organization to support the member states in order to increase their interaction and appreciated Iran’s participation in that regard.

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Opening the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Tileuberdi noted the importance of the upcoming CICA Summit, which will launch the transformation of the Forum into a full-fledged international organization, and expressed gratitude to the member states for supporting this initiative.

The participants discussed the final documents planned for adoption at the upcoming Summit, including the draft of the main final document of the Summit, the Regulations on the CICA Foundation, the statements of the leaders of the CICA member states on cooperation in the field of secure use of information and communication technologies, the CICA Action Plan for the Implementation of the UN Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy, etc.

In addition, an exchange of views took place on the prospects for further institutional development of the CICA and practical steps to advance the transformation process of the organization.

During the event, the Executive Director of the CICA Secretariat, Kairat Sarybay, informed the participants about the main organizational and protocol issues of the upcoming Summit.

The participants agreed to continue active joint work within the framework of the Forum in order to successfully conduct the 6th CICA Summit.

During the meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), the heads of the foreign ministries of the CSTO member states exchanged views on topical issues on the international agenda, reviewed a wide range of current activities and discussed the further development of the Organization.

The ministers also discussed the engagement of the CSTO member states within the framework of the implementation of the parties’ priorities outlined in the agenda of the 77th session of the UN General Assembly, as well as collaboration on the adoption of the UN General Assembly resolution on cooperation between the UN and the CSTO.

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The one-day event in the Kazakh capital gathered representatives of 23 out of 27 member states and observers, heads of international observer organizations, and partner organizations in a hybrid format.

Founded by Kazakhstan’s First President Nursultan Nazarbayev in 1992, CICA is aimed at the political rapprochement of countries and the creation of a common and inclusive space for security and stability in Asia. CICA unites 27 states, nearly half of the world’s population and more than half of the world’s GDP.

“Seeking solutions to the most acute problems of the continent requires a multilateral approach and cooperation,” wrote Nazarbayev in his address, read out by Acting Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan Akan Rakhmetullin.

Amid the growing global dominance and cold war narratives, CICA remains an “important global political center” promoting the principles of “partnership, equality and mutual solidarity.”

Rakhmetullin, in his opening remarks, also noted the significance of the region in terms of economic and human potential. “What remains unchanged is that Asia is our common home, and it is our responsibility to address acute issues. There are still zones of instability, nuclear non-proliferation, terrorism and extremism risks,” he said.

Iranian delegation at the conference is headed by Alireza Haghighian, Director General of the Eurasia Department of the Foreign Ministry.

Iran says considers heinous crimes in Palestine as child of “normalization” process

In his speech, he thanked the government and people of Kazakhstan for their warm hospitality.

“Today, the world is in a parallel situation,” the diplomat noted.

He also underscored that the COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected regional cooperation. He then went on to emphasize the importance of unity among the CICA members to overcome such challenges.

The pursuit of unilateral security by relying on military power has long since ended, Haghighian said.

He also said that “trans-regional interventionist powers” who seek to create insecurity and threaten to disrupt the security of others to achieve their “illusionary security” are well-versed in the cases of Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Afghanistan.

He added that security and development are the two sides of the same coin.

“Today, we need constructive interaction to achieve sustainable and indigenous security,” Haghighian said.

He added that Iran considers Asia as the driving force in its foreign policy and economic interactions.

According to the diplomat, Iran adheres to its policy of strengthening good neighborliness, building trust, and opening the door for other Asian countries.

The diplomat reminded the CICA members that Iran has proposed several peace initiatives to help solve the regional crises.

“Iran is working closely with countries in the region to remove problems such as terrorism, and to emphasize the need to increase continued multilateral cooperation among the CICA member states are the manifestation of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s constant commitment to play a participatory and cooperative role in ensuring security and sustainable development in the region and the world,” he added.

Haghighian also said that Iran has always considered the security and stability of its neighbors as its own.

“We believe the issues between neighbors should be resolved through dialogue and political solution,” the diplomat underlined.

He noted that in this regard, any alliance or unity with third parties especially entities with a grim record of aggression, assassination, espionage, conspiracy, war crimes, and crimes against humanity will result in nothing but losses for the perpetrators of such alliances.

“The blind support for apartheid in the occupied Palestinian territories and the denial of basic rights of the Palestinian people exacerbate throughout the Middle East,” Haghighian lamented.

He blamed countries for being silent over the massacre of the Palestinian children and the escalation of the crimes of the occupying regime in Palestine, saying that these heinous crimes are one of the consequences of the so-called “normalization” process, which few countries joined.

“Iran in strongest possible way condemns the escalations in the occupied Palestinian territory, including the holy Quds, as a blatant, systematic violation of human rights, and humanitarian laws,” the diplomat remarked.

He then concluded by saying that CICA has a very important place in the foreign policy chart of Iran, adding that the coronavirus pandemic, climate change, cyber-attacks, and so on, require a “fundamental overhaul” of security priorities.

CICA is an intergovernmental forum aimed at strengthening regional cooperation and ensuring peace, security, and stability in Asia. The idea of creating the organization was first voiced by Kazakhstan’s First President Nursultan Nazarbayev in 1992 at the 47th session of the United Nations General Assembly, while the first CICA summit was held in June of 2002. CICA members include 27 Asian countries, including Azerbaijan, Bahrain, China, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Russia, South Korea, and Turkey, nine observer states, and five international organizations, according to Astana Times.

The establishment of the CICA forum emerged from the firm belief that international progress can come about only through strong and effective partnerships. Since the first ministerial meeting, which took place in 1999, CICA has strived to enhance cooperation through elaborating multilateral approaches towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia.

Yet the world has changed dramatically in the past two decades. Asia has become a key driver of global economic growth and development. Multi-polarity has become the norm of international relations. Countries are actively cooperating thanks to globalization, yet at the same time nationalism is on the rise in many parts of the world. To adapt to these changes, the CICA forum must transform in order to continue to fulfill its important role.

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