Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev opened the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku, announcing that Laos has been approved as a new member state.
Aliyev called Laos’s accession an important step toward making the organization more inclusive and broadening dialogue and cooperation across Asia.
Addressing visiting heads of state and government, he thanked members for their unanimous support of Azerbaijan’s chairmanship, which he described as a sign of respect and trust. He also thanked them for backing a proposal to extend the chairmanship by another two years.
The 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) is underway in Baku.
President Ilham Aliyev welcomed the heads of state and government attending the event.
https://t.co/UExyNg8gJV https://t.co/XT85aNJium
— Ilham Aliyev (@presidentaz) October 15, 2026
Aliyev portrayed Azerbaijan as a bridge between Asia and Europe, saying its cooperation with many countries on political, economic, transport, energy and humanitarian issues strengthens regional security. He said Baku’s foreign policy rests on sovereign equality, non-interference in internal affairs and respect for territorial integrity.
Much of the speech focused on what he called double standards in handling interstate conflicts. Aliyev said about 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territory was under Armenian occupation for three decades and that one million Azerbaijanis were displaced.
He noted that four UN Security Council resolutions adopted in 1993 went unimplemented for 30 years, and he accused the OSCE Minsk Group of helping to freeze the conflict rather than resolve it.
He recounted the 44-day war of 2020, which ended with a November 10 agreement, and the September 2023 operation that he said restored Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over Garabagh. He used sharply worded language about past and current Armenian leaders. The report carried no response from Yerevan.
Aliyev argued the issue has global significance. Without mechanisms to enforce Security Council and other international decisions, he said, wars will continue and new ones will emerge. He added that earlier sanctions on Armenia could have spared Azerbaijan the need to act militarily.
He said Azerbaijan offered peace after its victory and has now lived in peace for a little over a year, though he described that peace as fragile and in need of protection and consolidation.
Turning to CICA, Aliyev said Azerbaijan’s two-year chairmanship prioritized transport, connectivity, digitalization, the environment, tourism, education and science.
He said the organization is now institutionally and legally stronger, with expanded membership and a greater capacity to promote dialogue, security, economic growth and mutual understanding.
