CICA admits Laos as Baku summit extends Azerbaijan’s chairmanship
Asian leaders meeting in Baku admitted Laos to CICA and extended Azerbaijan’s chairmanship for 2026–2028. The 15 October summit adopted the Baku Declaration, covering cooperation on security, economic and environmental risks. Delegations nevertheless displayed differences over regional conflicts, with some leaving during Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s speech. Türkiye welcomed the declaration, membership expansion and chairmanship decision.
Geopolitics··Morning
Laos joins the Asian security forum
The Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), a forum seeking to strengthen trust and security among Asian states, admitted Laos at its leaders’ summit in Baku on 15 October. Leaders extended Azerbaijan’s chairmanship for 2026–2028 and adopted the Baku Declaration. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry welcomed those decisions and Laos’s admission as the forum’s 29th member.[1], [2]
The declaration covers cooperation on military-political, economic and environmental risks, including artificial intelligence’s economic opportunities and security risks. Turkey described the chairmanship extension as supporting institutional continuity as CICA moves towards becoming a fully fledged international organization. Its ministry thanked outgoing secretary-general Kairat Sarybay and wished incoming secretary-general Sultan Hajiyev success.[1], [2]
Herzog’s speech prompts departures from the hall
The summit brought together officials whose governments hold conflicting positions on regional wars. Participants included Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Central Asian leaders also attended the meeting in Azerbaijan’s capital. When Herzog began speaking, delegations including Turkey, Iran, Kuwait and Pakistan left the hall. Qatar’s emir and representatives of the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain remained to hear the address. The departures took place during the same summit that adopted the joint declaration and membership decision.[1]
Transport links and preventive diplomacy proposed
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev proposed drafting a CICA transport-connectivity strategy. He also called for cooperation on preventive diplomacy, water basins and human capital, and proposed adding artificial intelligence to one of the forum’s working dimensions. Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev advocated developing trust around transport and energy projects. Wang called for a diplomatic settlement between the United States and Iran and for major shipping routes to remain open. These were proposals and appeals made in leaders’ speeches. Tokayev welcomed Laos’s admission and described institutional transformation as a continuing process, while Turkey said it would keep contributing actively to the forum.[1]
