Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will attend the seventh summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku on Thursday, representing President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish diplomatic sources said.
The summit, hosted by Azerbaijan as the current CICA chair, will bring together representatives of member states, observer countries and partner international organizations.
Discussions will focus on regional cooperation, connectivity, digitalization and sustainable development under Azerbaijan’s chairmanship priorities.
The summit is expected to adopt the Baku Declaration and a statement on cooperation in occupational safety and health, as well as announce Laos’ accession as a new member.
Fidan is scheduled to address the gathering and hold bilateral meetings on its sidelines.
According to diplomatic sources, he is expected to stress the importance of collective solutions based on consultation, consensus, mutual trust and regional ownership in addressing global crises and geopolitical challenges.
He is also expected to call for preserving and strengthening multilateral diplomacy.
Fidan is expected to address Israel’s continuing war in Gaza, its illegal settlement expansion policies and restrictions on humanitarian assistance to Palestinians.
Fidan is also expected to highlight the importance of strengthening cooperation within CICA in trade, energy, technology, digitalization and regional connectivity.
He is expected to point to Türkiye-backed projects, particularly the Middle Corridor and the Development Road, as initiatives that could contribute to regional stability and economic prosperity.
Fidan is also expected to argue that aligning the Middle Corridor with China’s Belt and Road Initiative would strengthen connectivity and economic cooperation across Asia.
On emerging technologies, he is expected to call for a human-centered approach to digital transformation and artificial intelligence that respects countries’ digital sovereignty and ensures equal access.
Climate change and sustainable development will also feature in his remarks.
Fidan is expected to stress the need for political commitment and concrete measures to address environmental challenges, particularly their effects on vulnerable regions.
He is also expected to reaffirm Türkiye’s commitment to climate action as host and president of the 31st UN Climate Change Conference (COP31).
CICA’s institutional development
Established as a platform for dialogue and confidence-building measures in Asia, CICA brings together 28 countries with differing political, economic and security priorities.
Its members collectively account for about 90% of Asia’s landmass and more than half of the world’s population.
Cooperation takes place across five dimensions: military-political, economic, human, environmental, and new threats and challenges.
Azerbaijan, which holds the 2024-2026 chairmanship, has prioritized connectivity, digitalization and sustainable development while working to accelerate CICA’s transformation into a fully fledged international organization.
The Baku Declaration is expected to outline progress under Azerbaijan’s chairmanship, including cooperation on artificial intelligence, environmental protection, connectivity, sustainable development and small and medium-sized enterprises.
It is also expected to address institutional reform and the importance of UN-centered multilateralism.
The separate statement on occupational safety and health is expected to reaffirm members’ commitment to protecting human life, strengthening administrative capacities and sharing expertise.
Türkiye’s role in CICA
Türkiye is a founding member of CICA and hosted the organization’s third summit in Istanbul in June 2010.
It also held the chairmanship from 2010 to 2014, contributing to efforts to strengthen the organization’s institutional structure and international visibility.
Ankara currently coordinates or co-coordinates several confidence-building priorities, including military-political cooperation, counterterrorism, trade and investment, small and medium-sized enterprise development, and responses to emerging security threats.