CICA secretary general visits Korea to discuss multilateral diplomacy and cooperation

The secretary general of CICA Ambassador Kairat Sarybay made a working visit to Korea earlier this month, meeting with Korean counterparts to discuss ways to foster multilateral diplomacy and cooperation throughout Asia.

The secretary general of the Conference on Interaction & Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), Ambassador Kairat Sarybay, second from right, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Korea Arystanov Nurgali, third from right, and Ambassador Chang Won-sam, president of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica), second from left, hold a meeting at Koica headquarters in Seongnam, Gyeonggi, on Aug. 14. [EMBASSY OF KAZAKHSTAN]

The secretary general of the Conference on Interaction & Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), Ambassador Kairat Sarybay, made a working visit to Korea earlier this month, meeting with Korean counterparts to discuss ways to foster multilateral diplomacy and cooperation throughout Asia.

Sarybay met with former Ambassador of Korea to Kazakhstan Baek Joo-hyeon, a candidate for the CICA Council of Eminent Persons, and discussed the importance of strengthening multilateral diplomacy and exploring the organization’s potential for such diplomacy in the region.

Sarybay also met with Kang Young-shin, Director-General for Northeast and Central Asian Affairs at South Korea's Foreign Ministry, and held a dialogue session on transforming CICA through statutory changes and budgetary and human resource reforms. Sarybay praised Korea for regular financial contributions to CICA’s causes and mentioned Korea’s role in priority areas of energy security and information technology.

A meeting with Choe Hyoung-chan, the new chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA), was also held during Sarybay’s visit. Sarybay encouraged the KNDA to join the CICA Think Tank Forum and proposed conducting capacity-building training at the academy for CICA staff.

Sarybay additionally met with Ambassador Chang Won-sam, president of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (Koica), and an agreement was reached to seek synergy in international assistance projects between CICA and Koica.

Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction & Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), Ambassador Kairat Sarybay, fourth from left, and Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Korea Arystanov Nurgali, fourth from right, pose for photos with CICA members in Seoul. [EMBASSY OF KAZAKHSTAN]

Sarybay concluded his visit by meeting with CICA ambassadors in Seoul.

This was Sarybay’s second visit to Korea since he became head of the CICA Secretariat in 2020. Established in 1999, the CICA is a multinational forum for enhancing cooperation to promote peace, security and stability in Asia. According to the Embassy of Kazakhstan, Korea remains one of the largest contributors to the Secretariat’s budget.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]