Israeli President Isaac Herzog has called for stronger cooperation with Asian countries, while Iran has urged Israel’s expulsion from the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), highlighting divisions at the organization’s summit in Baku.
Herzog made his remarks on October 15 at the seventh CICA summit in Azerbaijan, according to the Israeli government’s official website, gov.il.
He described CICA as an important platform for cooperation amid growing international divisions and said Israel could contribute to Asia in technology, science, water management, agriculture, energy, healthcare and artificial intelligence.
Herzog also highlighted the Abraham Accords, which established relations between Israel and several Arab countries, including Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, and called on Asian countries to prioritize dialogue and expand cooperation.
The Jerusalem Post reported that representatives from Iran, Türkiye, Kuwait, Pakistan and the Palestinian Authority walked out during Herzog’s speech.
Meanwhile, Iran called for Israel to be expelled from CICA, accusing Israel and the United States of fueling regional instability, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported.
Speaking at the same summit, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi accused Washington and Israel of violating Iran’s sovereignty and said the attacks killed Iran’s Supreme Leader and civilians, including 168 schoolchildren in Minab, and targeted civilian infrastructure and nuclear facilities under International Atomic Energy Agency supervision. He said Iran’s response was an exercise of its right to self-defense under the UN Charter.
He also blamed Israel’s military operations, occupation of Palestinian territories and actions in Lebanon and Syria for instability in West Asia, warning that further escalation could spread the conflict across the region.
“The time has now come for this regime to be expelled from the CICA mechanism,” he said.
Gharibabadi also urged neighboring countries to prevent their territories from being used to launch attacks against Iran, while reaffirming Tehran’s right to self-defense.
He called for an end to military operations, protection of civilians and legal accountability. He also said restoring security in the Strait of Hormuz required an end to hostilities, the lifting of the naval blockade and sanctions against Iran, and respect for its sovereignty.