CICA and Egypt Discuss Regional Security and Multilateral Cooperation

With the support of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Egypt, Ambassador Kairat Sarybay, Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), made a working visit to Cairo.

During the visit, he met with Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Amr Sherbini, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptian Expatriates of Egypt, Mohamed El-Orabi, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt and candidate for the CICA Council of Eminent Persons and Seif Kandeel, Director of the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding.

During the talks with the League of Arab States Secretary General Kairat Sarybay, praising the League's long-standing role as a CICA observer since 2002, noted that the eight Arab member states of CICA make a significant contribution to strengthening ties and promoting regional cooperation. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to multilateral cooperation and peaceful conflict resolution as pillars of regional integration.

At a meeting with Amr Sherbini, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptian Expatriates, Kairat Sarybay praised Egypt's active participation in implementing confidence-building measures in various areas throughout 2025.

The sides discussed the institutional development of CICA and the priorities of the Azerbaijani chairmanship, focusing on the outcomes of the recent Senior Officials Committee meeting in Astana this week and the clarification of the CICA Charter ahead of the 7th Summit in Baku. The officials also discussed the changing security situation in West Asia and Egypt's role in fostering CICA ties with Africa.

Kairat Sarybay discussed geopolitical developments and security prospects in West Asia with Mohamed El-Orabi, former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt and candidate for the CICA Council of Eminent Persons. Their dialogue focused on CICA's role in strengthening regional trust through its key institutions, including the Council of Eminent Persons, the Women's Council, the Youth Council, and the Think Tank Forum. They also discussed the priorities of Azerbaijan's chairmanship and the transformation of CICA into a full-fledged international organization at the upcoming Baku Summit.

During talks with Seif Kandeel, Director of the Cairo International Center for Conflict Resolution, Peacekeeping and Peacebuilding, the discussion focused on women's issues, the international peace and security agenda, and youth deradicalization. Both sides agreed to explore opportunities for capacity building between the CICA Youth Council and the Aswan Forum.

During his working visit, Secretary-General Kairat Sarybay attended the presentation of the Arabic translation of the monograph "The Near and Middle East in the System of International Relations" at Cairo University.

The book was authored by the distinguished Kazakh diplomat, the late Ambassador Askar Mussinov, who dedicated his career to strengthening ties between Kazakhstan and the Middle East and developing Islamic cooperation.

Reflecting on his long-standing professional and personal relationship with the author, Kairat Sarybay described the book as the intellectual legacy of a statesman, serving as a diplomatic bridge that continues to strengthen mutual trust and cooperation in the Arab world and beyond.