Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister for Multilateral Affairs and International Security Hisham Badr arrived in Beijing on Tuesday to attend the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA), due to open on Thursday.

In pre-departure statements, Badr said Egypt is keen on diversifying its foreign relations and posting Asia on its vision on international peace and security.

Badr said he will attend the CICA ministerial meeting on behalf of the Egyptian Foreign Minister.

The regular meetings of Special Working Group and Senior Officials Committee of CICA were held in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm El Sheikh on March 16-18, 2016. 

The Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) is a multi-national forum for enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia. It is a forum based on the recognition that there is a close link between peace, security and stability in Asia and in the rest of the world. The Member States, while affirming their commitment to the UN Charter, believe that peace and security in Asia can be achieved through dialogue and cooperation leading to a common indivisible area of security in Asia where all states co-exist peacefully and their peoples live in peace, freedom and prosperity.

The idea of convening the CICA was first proposed by Nursultan Nazarbayev, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, on 5 October 1992, at the 47th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. The moving spirit behind this initiative was the aspiration to set up an efficient and acceptable structure for ensuring peace and security in Asia. Unlike other regions in the world, Asia did not have such a structure at that time and earlier attempts to create a suitable structure had not been very successful. This initiative was supported by a number of Asian countries who felt that such a structure was the need of the time. 

The CICA Summit is convened every four years in order to conduct consultations, review the progress of, and set priorities for CICA activities. Meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs is required to be held every two years. Ministerial Meetings are the central forum for consultations and examination of all issues related to CICA activities. Committee of Senior Officials meets as often as necessary, but not less than at least once a year to follow-up on previous CICA decisions, carry out consultations on the current CICA issues, oversee the work of Special Working Groups and co-ordinate the work of other meetings. Special Working Group studies specific issues, carries out the tasks mandated to it and submits reports to the Committee of Senior Officials.

Source : MENA