Kazakhstan will hand over the chairmanship of the Non-Aligned Movement to Azerbaijan.

Astana, December 15. KAZAKHSTAN TODAY - The seventh meeting of the Council of Ministers of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia will take place online on December 17, 2024. This meeting will mark the end of Kazakhstan's chairmanship in the CICA from 2020 to 2024 and the beginning of Azerbaijan's chairmanship for the period of 2024-2026, as reported by the press service of the CICA Secretariat.

As the regular meetings of the CICA Foreign Ministers and the CICA Summit are held every two years, the foreign ministers of 28 member states of the pan-Asian organization intend to engage in lively discussions on a wide range of issues of paramount importance for the international agenda, including global and regional peace and security in light of the current geopolitical situation in Asia and the world since the last CICA Summit in Astana in October 2022," the statement reads.

It is anticipated that the seventh CICA Foreign Ministers' meeting will adopt important documents that have been meticulously agreed upon in preparation for the event and refined based on consensus within the CICA Senior Officials Committee.

The main political outcome targeted by all member states will be a statement by the ministers on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the first founding document of CICA in 1999, which outlines the fundamental principles governing relations among CICA member states. The upcoming ministerial meeting will serve as a test of the strength and relevance of the commitments made by the founders of CICA.

The meeting will establish a new CICA cooperation mechanism - a university network of CICA member states to promote collaboration in education as well as facilitate academic and scientific exchanges.

Additionally, it is planned that the meeting will adopt two key decisions in the main area of the organization's operational activities - confidence-building measures. A new area of cooperation will be added to the CICA catalog of confidence-building measures, specifically promoting volunteerism. It is also expected that the ministers will approve a comprehensive framework document on the modalities for implementing confidence-building measures aimed at enhancing their effectiveness and practical outcomes.