Minister of State for External Affairs Meenakshi Lekhi attended the 6th Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) held in Astana on October 13.
Key points
- Speaking at the conference, she said that India desires “normal” relations with Pakistan, but it must take “credible, verifiable and irreversible actions” to end cross-border terrorism, said slamming India’s neighbour for supporting terror groups and for attacks on minorities, in response to a speech made by Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, at a conference in Kazakhstan.
About Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA)
- The Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) is a multi-national forum for enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia.
- The idea of convening CICA was first proposed by the First President of the Republic of Kazakhstan – Mr. Nursultan Nazarbayev, on 5 October 1992, at the 47th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
- The two founding documents of CICA are Declaration on the Principles Guiding Relations between the CICA Member States adopted at the First Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in Almaty on 14 September 1999 and the Almaty Act, charter of CICA, adopted at the First Summit held in Almaty on 4 June 2002.
- To be a member of CICA, a state must have at least a part of its territory in Asia.
- Fifteen states meeting this criterion signed the Declaration on the Principles Guiding Relations between the CICA Member States at the First Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs in 1999 and became founding members of CICA.
- Presently CICA has 27 Member States accounting for nearly ninety percent of the territory and population of Asia.
- Nine countries and 5 multi-national organizations, including the United Nations, have observer status.
