President of Kazakhstan Qasym-Jomart Toqaev, speaking at the VII Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia in Baku, supported the reconciliation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia and said the South Caucasus example clearly shows what far-sighted leadership can achieve, infohub.kz reports.
"This rapprochement after decades of deep divisions opens new prospects, creating opportunities for building bridges between East and West. Thanks to strong political will and significant economic potential, CICA can make a substantial contribution to the implementation of major cross-border projects. Therefore, I propose jointly developing a CICA Strategy on Transport Connectivity. This Strategy will allow us to explore the potential of major international transport routes in our region, including the Belt and Road Initiative, the North-South international transport corridor, the Middle Corridor and the TRIPP initiative," the Head of State noted.
Qasym-Jomart Toqaev emphasized that energy security is currently under threat of complete destruction.
"Cross-border energy infrastructure is increasingly exposed to conflicts. As a result, instability persists in energy markets around the world. This uncertainty threatens to slow economic growth far beyond the countries directly affected by the events. That is why Kazakhstan is betting on partnership. Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan signed an agreement on strategic partnership in green energy supplies, laying the foundation for the Caspian Green Energy Corridor, which will unite our energy systems and ensure their further connection to European markets via the Black Sea," the President said.
The President of Kazakhstan shared plans to jointly increase with Azerbaijan the volumes of Kazakh oil supplies via the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline.
"It is obvious that the Caspian Sea is acquiring vital importance for ensuring energy security both for our region and for the whole world. Kazakhstan firmly believes that the Caspian should remain a space of peace and cooperation for the benefit of all states in the region and other countries. It is equally important to preserve it through joint efforts in the field of water resources and ecology," Qasym-Jomart Toqaev believes.
Along with this, the Head of State noted that the environmental dimension of CICA's activities is becoming increasingly relevant. In his opinion, water scarcity and ecosystem degradation have become among the most serious challenges for Asia.
"Asia and the Pacific region is home to 60% of the world's population, yet this region accounts for only 35% of global water resources. As a result, per capita water availability here is the lowest in the world. Kazakhstan consistently advocates that water resources remain a source of cooperation. In this regard, we propose creating a CICA Water Partnership aimed at developing technological exchange, conducting joint research and implementing water-saving solutions. In a broader context, Kazakhstan has put forward an initiative to create an International Water Organization within the UN system, which could ensure coherence of the global water agenda. This proposal could be put forward jointly by the countries of Central Asia and Azerbaijan while remaining open for accession by all CICA states," the President said.