Context: Recently, the Minister of State for External Affairs addressed the 6th Summit of Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA)

• It is a multinational forum for strengthening cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia.

• Founded by: Kazakhstan’s First President in 1992.

• First summit: held in 2002.

• Location of CICA Secretariat: Almaty (Kazakhstan).

• Meetings and Summits: The CICA Summit is convened every four years in order to conduct consultations, review the progress of, and set priorities for CICA activities.

• The Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs is required to be held every two years.

• Members: To be a member of CICA, a state must have at least a part of its territory in Asia. So far the CICA has 27 member countries, 9 observer states, and 5 international organizations.

• Participation of India: India is one of the founding members of Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA).