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CICA: a forum to combat terrorism through CBMs

ASTANA: The Conference on Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) had a slow start in the first decade after Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev floated the idea at the annual U.N. General Assembly in 1992. But the process appears to have gathered steam in the new century.

In 2002, CICA came into existence at a summit meeting attended by the heads of government of 11 countries, including the then Prime Minister, Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Two years later, the grouping laid down five dimensions for realisation of confidence building measures — military, political, fight against new threats and challenges, economic, environmental and humanitarian.

After another two years, the CICA Secretariat took place with diplomats seconded from India, Russia, Turkey, Kazakhstan and Pakistan. Explaining the rationale of CICA (pronounced See-ka), Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan, Nurlan Yermekbayev, points out that after the Soviet Union’s disintegration, the balance of forces in the region, which till then had been “unshakeable,” changed. And Kazakhstan’s diplomacy had to start working in an “empty field.”

The idea of a security structure in Asia was floated several times and, therefore, CICA tried to avoid the pitfalls of the previously aborted ideas.

Today, CICA is at the next stage of evolution. In 2007, the Senior Official Committee of CICA met in Bangkok — the first time outside Kazakhstan — to adopt the Cooperative Approach for the realisation of the implementation of CBMs. Now, the process has begun with members having volunteered to act as coordinating countries for certain CBMs.

For instance, India along with Korea and Azerbaijan, has offered to act as coordinator for the implementation of CBMs in energy security cooperation and development of secure and effective systems of transportation.

With the gaining of confidence about the CICA approach, it has been decided that majority of events would be held outside Kazakhstan, pointed out Mr. Yermekbayev. The venues too are diverse — Ankara, Turkey, Moscow, Seoul and New Delhi. CICA is defined by two major approaches. One, it is heterogeneous. Geographical distances or difference in political approaches are not inhibiting factors. The membership itself gives an indication. It currently has on its rolls Israel, Iran, Pakistan, Korea, India, Jordan, Tajikistan and Turkey among others.

The second is its resolve to progress gradually, keeping in mind the diverse profile of CICA and to focus more on realisation of CBMs in non-traditional security challenges to generate sufficient goodwill among the members. While CICA is seeking cooperation with other regional organisations, all its members have agreed its primary task would be to supplement them.

“No other regional organisation covers so much of territory. We see CICA as contributing to the struggle against terrorism through building of CBMs. These would reduce tensions and misgivings, thus providing less ground for terrorism. But CICA, at the same time, supplements the existing mechanisms to combat terrorism,” Mr. Yermekbayev observed in an interview with The Hindu.

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