Baku, Azerbaijan
At the outset of his address, President of Kazakhstan expressed gratitude to President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev for the warm hospitality and excellent organization of the Summit. Kassym-Jomart Tokayev highly commended Azerbaijan’s dynamic chairmanship, aimed at enhancing CICA’s potential as a unique platform for dialogue, trust and comprehensive cooperation.
“For Kazakhstan, the Conference is a matter of special significance. Three decades ago, my country launched this Forum in good faith, to build mutual confidence and foster security in our vast region. Since then, CICA has succeeded to get its member-states together for delivering equal benefits to all of us. In fact, today CICA is the only Forum to have been aimed to build security and trust in Asia at one table. CICA’s participating states cover almost 90 percent of Asia, representing more than half of the world’s population. There are few multilateral organizations that can make such claim,” the Head of State emphasized.
The president noted that this scale reflects the enormous potential of the CICA, which is driven by an energetic young generation striving to build a shared future.
“The spirit of CICA, embodying our genuine commitment to shape a secure and prosperous Asia, has become a truly recognizable brand. And I am pleased to welcome Laos, which today joins CICA as a full-fledged member state,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said.
The Head of State noted that the Summit was taking place at a time when the very value of the forum was being tested. He observed that the world was facing exceptionally complex and unprecedented challenges requiring profound reflection and comprehensive analysis.
“In essence, there is a gradual erosion of the very foundations of the international security’s architecture with a worrying shift towards the primacy of force over the rule of law. In 2025, the world witnessed the highest number of armed conflicts since the Second World War. The toll is measured in lives, not only in statistics. More than 37,000 civilian deaths have been verified across 20 armed conflicts in a single recent year. Over 117 million people remain forcibly displaced and 266 million face acute food insecurity. This tendency has undermined decades of joint political efforts to reach global stability and security. Therefore, it is clear that Asia needs stronger institutions. Time of declarations of good-will is getting over,” the President of Kazakhstan stated.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev recalled that at the 6th CICA Summit in Astana in 2022, participating states had agreed to transform the Conference into a full-fledged international organization.
“Azerbaijan’s Chairmanship is now delivering this mission with great dignity and we look forward to the adoption of the CICA Charter as a road-guider. Kazakhstan’s position on CICA’s transformation is based on our previous commitments and relevant flexibility to get common understanding and proper agreement. Rooted in Asia, CICA should remain open to cooperation with partners across the world. Organization must advance a model of security built on consistent dialogue and productive consultations in the spirit of mutual trust,” the Head of State said.
The President reminded the Summit participants that security had always been among CICA’s key priorities.
“Our organization has much to offer in peaceful settlement of disputes, disarmament and peacebuilding that matters today more than ever. Working alongside the United Nations, Shanghai Cooperation Organization, CIS and other international institutions, CICA should take more active part in bridging differences across Asia and beyond. Therefore, we urge member states to translate our collective political will into concrete initiatives that lead to tangible results. As a practical step, we propose to launch a Mechanism for Preventive Diplomacy. Peace is best built before crises emerge. Prevention is inherently more effective and far less costly than managing crises once they have erupted. It will give every member state a structured voice in decisions and translate declarations into coordinated action,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted.
According to the Head of State, a forward-looking organization must be prepared for the fundamental changes unfolding in the world today.
“Artificial or Super intelligence has already become decisive factors of economic development and national competitiveness. Cyberattacks are playing extremely destructive role in today’s conflicts. Even more troubling is uncontrolled development of artificial intelligence, whose capabilities are advancing faster than the mechanisms for its international legal regulation. There are already documented cases in which AI Agents bypassed safeguards and gained unauthorized access to external systems. Such cases will cause serious disruptions and inflame tensions between states unless we jointly put them on halt by introducing international legal instruments. The advancement of AI should not prevail humanity’s ability to maintain effective control over it. Therefore, confidence-building measures must be extended into the digital domain. From my perspective, CICA should add Artificial Intelligence to its five existing dimensions,” the President of Kazakhstan proposed.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev noted that, when used responsibly, these technologies could accelerate economic growth, improve public administration and expand development opportunities across the region, while ensuring that the associated risks remain under joint control.
“In this spirit, we welcome the Accord on Superintelligence signed recently in Washington, D.C. In essence, it could serve as the basis for an international treaty under the auspices of the United Nations. I believe that CICA can greatly contribute to this process. As part of our global effort in this field, Kazakhstan will harbor the UN ESCAP Asia-Pacific Digital Solutions Centre for Sustainable Development in Almaty. I hope CICA member-states will join the work of this Centre to shape our region’s digital future together,” the Head of State emphasized.
The President stressed that information security was vital to the implementation of any strategic project, particularly those involving several countries.
“Today, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan are marking an important milestone by jointly launching the Trans-Caspian Fiber-Optic Line beneath the Caspian Sea. This unique Digital Silk Way project will ensure faster and more secure data transmission across Eurasia, thus strengthening the digital capacity of Asia and opening up new avenues for cooperation,” he said.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev expressed support for the reconciliation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia, noting that the example of the South Caucasus clearly demonstrates the results that can be achieved through visionary leadership.
“This rapprochement, after decades of bitter division, is opening new opportunities, creating a gateway between East and West. With its strong political will and vast economic potential, CICA is well placed to support big cross-border projects. So, I propose to jointly draft a CICA Transport Connectivity Strategy. This Strategy will help to explore the potential of major international routes around our region, including the Belt and Road, North-South International Route, Middle Corridor and the TRIPP initiative,” the President noted.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev emphasized that energy security is currently at risk of being completely destroyed
“Cross-border energy infrastructure is more exposed to conflicts. As a result, energy markets worldwide remain volatile. This uncertainty threatens to slow economic growth far beyond the countries directly affected. This is the reason Kazakhstan counts on partnership over retreat. Last year Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan signed the agreement of strategic partnership on delivery of green energy, laying the foundation for a Caspian Green Energy Corridor. And this corridor is to connect our power grids and extend them via the Black Sea to European markets,” the Head of State reported.
The President of Kazakhstan outlined plans to work jointly with Azerbaijan to increase the volume of Kazakh oil transported through the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline.
“It is evident that the Caspian Sea is gaining vital importance for energy security, both in our region and globally. Kazakhstan strongly believes that the Caspian Sea must remain a place of peace and cooperation for the benefit of all nations in the region and beyond provided that this unique Sea will be saved by joint efforts in terms of water and ecology,” Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stated.
The Head of State also noted the growing importance of CICA’s environmental dimension. In his view, water scarcity and ecosystem degradation had become among the most serious challenges facing Asia.
“Asia and the Pacific are home to 60 percent of the world’s population but holds only 35 percent of its water resources, giving our region the lowest per capita water availability on Earth. Kazakhstan insists that water must continuously be a source of cooperation. In this regard, we propose to create a CICA Water Partnership to promote tech exchange, joint research and the deployment of water-saving solutions. More broadly, Kazakhstan proposed to establish an International Water Organization within the United Nations system, one that could bring coherence to the global water agenda. This initiative could be brought forward as a joint one on behalf of Central Asian countries and Azerbaijan with the door open for all CICA member-states,” the President said.
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev stressed that none of these initiatives would be sustainable without investment in human capital.
“More than a thousand years ago, the great philosopher and scientist Al-Farabi taught that a society’s strength lies in the knowledge and character of its people. I urge all member-states to work on establishing a CICA Human Capital Partnership. The aim is to have our younger generation to get prepared for a world reshaped by rapid changes either technological, economic or geopolitical. We are ready to offer the expertise of our leading universities and research institutions to contribute to this important case. The Research Fellowship in Security and Confidence Building could be launched next year. Kazakhstan is ready to provide all 28 member-states with students’ scholarships. Kazakhstan stands ready to provide fellowship grants for researchers from our member states,” the Head of State noted.
Concluding his address, the President of Kazakhstan wished Azerbaijan every success in continuing its chairmanship of CICA and expressed confidence that the Baku Declaration, to be adopted at the Summit, would provide a solid foundation for further work.
