CICA Summit: India pushes Asian nations to step up fight against terrorism

New Delhi: India has urged Asian countries to come together and take action against all forms of terrorism, including cross-border terrorism, while highlighting that regional connectivity projects must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all member states. The minister of state for external affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, conveyed India’s position at the 7th summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku, Azerbaijan, on Thursday.

According to statement, Singh headed the Indian delegation that attended the summit, which saw member countries deliberating on ways to further enhance cooperation, increase mutual trust, and maintain peace in Asia. In his speech at the plenary session, he emphasized the commitment of India towards multilateral cooperation and collective action.

Singh stressed that the regional connectivity ventures should be transparent, economically feasible, and inclusive, but also adhere strictly to the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of all the members. The Indian stance highlights the importance of making sure that these endeavours foster collaboration without infringing on the rights and interests of the member states.

He further highlighted India’s active role in CICA events and appealed to member nations to make more endeavours against terrorism. The appeal put regional security along with cooperation and mutual trust into the list of significant fields in which Asian nations should engage.

During the plenary session, Singh highlighted India’s guiding philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, meaning “The World Is One Family”. He presented the principle as a foundation for promoting peace, friendship and cooperation among nations, while reaffirming India’s support for inclusive and consensus-based multilateral engagement.

According to the MEA, Singh reaffirmed that India was committed to cooperating with other members through dialogue and cooperation. This strategy is an embodiment of India’s policy of collective action in order to overcome challenges together.

The 7th CICA Summit passed the Baku Declaration, which emphasized the role of connectivity, digitization, and sustainable development as key components in ensuring confidence-building and development in Asia. The Baku Declaration demonstrated that the member countries considered cooperation and mutual trust-building through joint efforts to be crucial.

India, one of the founding members of CICA, once again reiterated its faith in the organization as a forum for inclusive dialogue and consensus building. The summit was a chance for member states to deliberate on how they can improve their involvement in areas affecting peace and security within the region.

What is CICA?

This conference is an opportunity for Asian nations to come together and talk about security issues in the region and also enhance political relations through cooperation and mutual trust-building.

The initiative was proposed by Kazakhstan’s then president, Nursultan Nazarbayev, at the United Nations general assembly in 1992. India is among its founding members, and the forum has 28 member states, including China, Russia, Pakistan, Iran, Israel, Turkiye and Azerbaijan, representing countries across Asia and the Middle East.