Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Kazakhstan on Wednesday to attend the two-day 6th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in capital Astana.

He is accompanied by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik and other government representatives.

“Leaving for Kazakhstan today to attend the 6th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA). I believe CICA is capable of shaping a new configuration of economic cooperation and security in Asia through greater connectivity,” the premier tweeted prior to his departure.

In a subsequent tweet, he added: “As the world faces the prospect of a recession fuelled by [an[ increase in the energy and food prices, there is a greater need to promote engagement and understanding to form win-win partnerships. Climate induced disasters call for synergised efforts for mutually beneficial outcomes.”

The CICA is an intergovernmental process comprising 27 countries from all across Asia. Established in 1992, it focuses on promoting peace, security and socio-economic development in the Asian continent, and Pakistan is one of its founding members.

PM Shehbaz would address the plenary meeting of the foum on Thursday (tomorrow) during the two-day summit starting today, a statement issued by the Foreign Office said on Tuesday.

In his speech, the premier would elaborate upon the significance of CICA as a unique forum for promoting interaction, understanding and collaboration amongst countries across Asia to address common challenges, the statement said.

It added that PM Shehbaz would also highlight Pakistan’s perspective on regional and global issues.

“On the sidelines of the summit, the prime minister will hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of various CICA member states aimed at fostering greater cooperation, particularly in the fields of trade, investment and energy,” the statement read.

The “CICA offers an invaluable platform for advancing the objectives of regional stability and prosperity through dialogue and win-win cooperation.

“It promotes confidence building measures under five broad domains: economic dimension, environmental dimension, human dimension, new challenges and threats, and military-political dimension,” the FO statement explained.

It added that the prime minister’s participation in the CICA summit “attests to the importance attached by Pakistan to promoting connectivity and economic cooperation in Asia, in keeping with the objectives enshrined in the CICA Charter”.