New Delhi, Sep 24 (UNI) External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday reaffirmed India’s support for Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures’ (CICA) initiatives on peace, security and prosperity in Asia. Participating in the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the CICA in Asia which held virtually on Thursday, Dr Jaishankar congratulated Kazakhstan on assuming the Chair of CICA.
During the meeting, the Minister shared India’s efforts in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and India’s contribution to partner countries in CICA and beyond, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement. He underlined India’s traditional ties with Central Asia, shared perspectives on counter-terrorism, and Afghanistan.
The meeting witnessed the transfer of the Chairmanship of CICA from Tajikistan to Kazakhstan; appointment of new Executive Director and exchange of views on the future endeavours of CICA, including cooperation in mitigating the effects of COVID-19 pandemic, it added.
India is a member of CICA since its inception in 1999 and has been actively participating in various activities conducted under the aegis of CICA. India also co-chairs two CICA CBMs on ‘Development of Secure and Effective Systems of Transportation Corridors,’ and ‘Energy Security’.
