CICA summit in Baku adopts the Baku Declaration as Turkic leaders put forward proposals on AI, the Middle Corridor and green energy

Baku hosted the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) on 15 October. Held under the theme "Stronger CICA: Connectivity, Digitalisation and Sustainable Growth in Asia", the summit adopted the Baku Declaration, admitted Laos as a new member and, with the support of member states, extended Azerbaijan's chairmanship by two more years, to 2028. The Turkic states were represented by the presidents of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan, while Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan attended on behalf of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

Opening the summit as host and chair, President Ilham Aliyev thanked member states for their unanimous support for the chairmanship. He said that over the past two years CICA had become stronger institutionally and legally and had gained new members. Transport, connectivity, digitalisation, the environment, tourism, education and science were the priorities of the chairmanship. Aliyev described Azerbaijan as a hub at the crossroads of Asia and Europe connecting the Eurasian space, and stressed that cooperation in transport and energy also strengthens regional security.

Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev put forward several new initiatives: a preventive diplomacy mechanism within CICA that would come into play before crises escalate; a CICA Transport Connectivity Strategy covering the Belt and Road, the North–South corridor and the Middle Corridor; and making artificial intelligence a new dimension of the organisation's work, with IT cooperation added to the catalogue of confidence-building measures. Recalling the strategic green-energy partnership agreement between Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, which lays the groundwork for the Caspian Green Energy Corridor, he reiterated the idea of a UN-linked International Water Organisation and invited partners to make more use of the Astana International Financial Centre. Tokayev also backed turning CICA into a fully fledged international organisation.

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev called for an "infrastructure of trust" in Asia, linking conflict prevention with joint projects in transport, energy, trade and digital technology. He proposed an Asian initiative on technological trust and the responsible use of AI, with an expert platform within CICA, and a Partnership for Climate Resilience built on water-saving technology, green energy and environmental monitoring. He offered to host a Human Development Forum in Uzbekistan next year, proposed a CICA Action Plan to 2028 and invited member states to the 20th summit of the Non-Aligned Movement in Tashkent next year. He supported the continuation of Azerbaijan's chairmanship and Azerbaijan's candidate for Secretary General. A day earlier, on 14 October, Mirziyoyev met Ilham Aliyev; the two noted that bilateral trade had grown this year and discussed joint projects in energy, investment, construction, transport and tourism.

Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov said Azerbaijan had done extensive work to strengthen CICA and that the organisation was an important platform for open dialogue and for building trust. In his view, CICA should support sustainable development in Asia, attract investment and promote industrial cooperation, expand transport, economic, energy and tourism links, and work together on climate change and environmental protection. "Digitalisation is very important for the economy, and Kyrgyzstan is moving forward in this direction," Japarov said. He noted that the leaders of Central Asia had jointly resolved a number of issues in the region and were ready to help in other regions as well, and he backed Azerbaijan's chairmanship until 2028.

Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov said Azerbaijan's chairmanship held a special place in CICA's history and thanked Ilham Aliyev for organising the summit at a high level. He called CICA a useful platform for strengthening peace and ensuring sustainable development and said regional cooperation was especially important at a time of change. Artificial intelligence, he said, opens broad opportunities for economic development but requires a responsible approach, which cooperation and mutual trust make possible.

Türkiye was represented by Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, who was received by President Ilham Aliyev; they discussed the current state of Azerbaijan–Türkiye relations. On the sidelines of the summit Fidan also met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. The leaders of the Turkic states will meet again in two weeks: the 13th Summit of the Organization of Turkic States takes place in Ankara on 29–30 October.