By Ramesh Jaura

ASTANA (IDN) – Within days of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit and opening of the ‘EXPO 2017: Future Energy‘, Roman Vassilenko, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, proudly refers to “25 achievements of Kazakhstan’s diplomacy in 25 years” and speaks of a “truly historic moment” in the country’s “modern history”.

One such achievement, according to Vassilenko, is launching the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA), a multinational forum for enhancing cooperation towards promoting peace, security and stability in Asia on the basis of the UN Charter.

The idea of convening the CICA was first proposed by President Nursultan Nazarbayev on October 5, 1992, at the 47th Session of the United Nations General Assembly. This initiative aimed at setting up an efficient and acceptable structure for ensuring peace and security in Asia.…