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Foreign Affairs State Minister Humayun Kabir has proposed three initiatives to strengthen regional cooperation in Asia, focusing on result-oriented projects, greater stakeholder engagement and digital cooperation to address emerging challenges in information technology and artificial intelligence.
He presented the proposals at the plenary session of the seventh summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Thursday.
According to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kabir reaffirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to advancing regional cooperation and called for transforming CICA into a more inclusive, effective and results-oriented organisation.
He also expressed Bangladesh’s full support for turning CICA into a fully fledged international regional organisation, saying it needed a clear legal status, a stronger secretariat, a reliable funding mechanism and an effective decision-making process.
As the first initiative, Kabir called for implementing result-oriented, sector-specific projects among member states to build meaningful and sustainable partnerships, supported by formal follow-up and review mechanisms.
Second, he proposed holding more in-person events to encourage broader stakeholder participation and strengthen engagement among CICA members.
Third, he stressed greater exchanges and cooperation among information and communication technology (ICT) institutions in member countries.
He also proposed developing confidence-building measures to address emerging challenges related to ICT and artificial intelligence while promoting a secure, open and reliable digital environment.
Bangladesh remains committed to strengthening regional cooperation through practical initiatives that deliver tangible benefits to the people of Asia, Kabir said.
Azerbaijan is chairing the seventh CICA summit under the theme “A Stronger CICA: Connectivity, Digitalisation and Sustainable Growth”, which highlights the growing importance of regional connectivity, technological advancement and sustainable economic development across Asia.
During the summit, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic joined CICA as its 29th member, further expanding the pan-Asian forum.
The summit also endorsed Azerbaijan’s chairmanship for the 2026-2028 term and approved the appointment of Sultan Hajiyev as the next CICA secretary-general.
Established in 1999, CICA is a multilateral platform aimed at promoting peace, security, stability and confidence-building measures across Asia.