PM Shehbaz arrives in Kazakhstan to participate in CICA summit

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana to participate in the 6th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), being held on 12-13 October. 

Vice President and Finance Minister of Kazakhstan, Yerulan Zhamaubayev received PM Sharif at the Nursultan Nazarbayev International Airport.

Members of the cabinet and senior officials are accompanying the premier on the two-day summit.

During his stay in Astana, PM Sharif will meet the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and also attend the banquet hosted by President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in honour of leaders of the CICA member states.

Shehbaz will address the plenary meeting of CICA on Thursday (Oct 13) where he will talk about the significance of the conference as a unique forum for promoting interaction, understanding and collaboration amongst countries across Asia to address common challenges.

He will also highlight Pakistan’s perspective on regional and global issues.

The premier’s participation in the summit attests to the importance attached by Pakistan to promoting connectivity and economic cooperation in Asia, in keeping with the objectives enshrined in the CICA Charter.

Read: FM reaffirms Pakistan’s commitment to CICA process

Before leaving for the summit, Shehbaz said the forum is capable of "shaping a new configuration of economic cooperation and security in Asia through greater connectivity”.

“As the world faces the prospect of a recession fuelled by an increase in energy & food prices, there is a greater need to promote engagement & understanding to form win-win partnerships. Climate-induced disasters call for synergized efforts for mutually beneficial outcomes,” the premier added.

On the sidelines of the summit, the prime minister is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of various CICA member states aimed at fostering greater cooperation, particularly in the fields of trade, and investment.

Established in 1992, CICA is an intergovernmental process comprising 27 countries from all across the continent.

Pakistan is one of its founding members.

The summit focuses on promoting peace, security and socio-economic development in Asia.

CICA offers an invaluable platform for advancing the objectives of regional stability and prosperity through dialogue and win-win cooperation.