Astana, 13 October 2022 (TDI): Prime Minister of Pakistan, Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif addressed the 6th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) 2022 in Astana, Kazakhstan, today.
The Prime Minister enunciated that “Pakistan attaches great importance to the CICA platform. He went on to point out that CICA had been playing an important role to enhance cooperation on the Asian continent.
He further added, “Pakistan is living through a colossal climate-induced calamity. Unprecedented rains & flooding that have submerged more than one-third of my country are, without any doubt, the consequence of global warming & climate change.”
Along these lines, Shehbaz sharif shared that “I have spent the last many weeks going from one scene of devastation to another; I have embraced people who have lost everything; perhaps even their dreams & I have marshaled all the resources at my disposal for rescue, relief, and rehabilitation.”
“What makes the situation even more tragic is that even though Pakistan is responsible for less than 1% of global carbon emissions, we are among the top ten countries most severely impacted by climate change,” he highlighted.
The Prime Minister thanked the UN, “We are thankful to the UN for the fresh appeal of 816 million dollars for Pakistan earlier this month. This five-fold increase in the amount is aimed at tackling the challenges of water-borne diseases among the affected population.”
He added, “We look forward to your continued support as we transition to the more daunting phase of rehabilitation & reconstruction.
Let me assure you we are determined to emerge stronger from this catastrophe, rebuilding through a comprehensive, resilient & sustainable model.”
Talking about CPEC he said that “Pakistan’s location offers a natural bridge & conduit among regional economies. CPEC has transformed the economic & connectivity landscape of the region.
We invite our friends to take advantage of the opportunities for trade, business & investment in Pakistan.”
On the issue of Afghanistan, he reiterated that “A peaceful, stable, united & prosperous Afghanistan is in the best interest of Pakistan, the entire region, and the international community.
We call upon the world to support the people of Afghanistan in their quest for sustainable peace, stability & development.”
Touching upon the subject the of economy, he stated that “Pak’s 1st priority is to revive rapid & equitable economic growth. To do so, stability in the region is essential.
He added that Pakistan “desires peaceful relations with all its neighbors, including India. Until India halts its atrocities in IIOJK, just & lasting peace will remain elusive.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also pointed out Indian atrocities and digressions to the participants of the 6th CICA Summit.
In this vein, he stated that “For 7 decades India has defied the will of United Nations, as reflected through the two UN resolutions on Kashmir; for 7 decades India has trampled the will of the people of Jammu & Kashmir, by denying them the right of self-determination.”
In this regard, he urged the world to “look behind the gloss of Indian democracy and recognize the brutal nature of its policies in Occupied Kashmir. In this terrorized valley of Kashmir, India brandishes democracy not through the ballot, but through its bullet.”
Lastly, the Prime Minister of Pakistan highlighted the need to “urgently find political solutions to the conflicts in the Middle East and elsewhere in Asia.
A just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian question is essential for comprehensive peace in the Middle East.”
6th CICA Summit
The sixth Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) conference will be hosted by Kazakhstan in Astana. The two-day conference will also mark the thirtieth anniversary of the intergovernmental organization.
The leaders from Palestine, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Iran, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Turkey, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan are attending the summit.
Among the other guests are Belarus’s President as well as the Vice Presidents from Vietnam and China. The agenda of the Summit is to deliberate on key issues pertaining to CICA’s objectives.
Along these lines, it will endeavor to resolve key issues pertaining to its internal mechanism and functioning along with taking into account the most pressing global issues, especially in the backdrop of the situation in Eurasia and the Middle East.
Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA)
CICA is a multinational organization with the objective of collaboration for stability, security, and peace throughout Asia. It is based on the understanding that there is a close-knit connection between stability, peace, and security in Asia and the rest of the globe.
Nursultan Nazarbayev, the President of Kazakhstan, first suggested the concept of holding CICA on October 5, 1992, during the 47th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The driving force behind this initiative was the need to establish an effective and acceptable system for ensuring peace and security in Asia.
CICA Member states are Azerbaijan, Vietnam, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Egypt, India, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Republic of Korea, Russia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkiye, UAE, and Uzbekistan.
The CICA Observer States are Belarus, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, and the USA.
The Observer Organizations include the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the United Nations (UN), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the League of Arab States (LAS), and the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic States (TURKPA).
