India participates in CICA business promotion meeting in Astana

The seventh plenary session of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Business Council and the ninth CICA Business Forum that included representatives from India was held in November in Astana.

The forum concluded with a number of agreements, particularly on launching training programs, developing joint investment initiatives, and introducing new formats of interaction between businesses and governments.

The event brought together nearly 100 companies and representatives from South Korea, China, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Bangladesh, India, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Türkiye.


Kazakhstan’s trade with the member states of CICA including India reached nearly $82 billion in 2023, which is 5% more than in the previous year.

According to the Khabar news agency, the trade covered such sectors as digitization, transport, logistics, industry, science, and education. Raimbek Batalov, the chairman of the presidium of the Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, stated that over 36,000 companies with capital participation from CICA member states are currently operating in Kazakhstan. Last year, investments from CICA countries in Kazakhstan reached $1.6 billion.

Last week CICA Senior Officials Committee (SOC) meeting was held at the Kazakh Foreign Ministry, chaired by First Deputy Foreign Minister Akan Rakhmetullin and Ambassador-at-Large Talgat Kaliyev, with participation of CICA Secretary General Ambassador Kairat Sarybay.

CICA Senior Officials discussed key documents for adoption by the Ministerial Council meeting scheduled for December 2024, where the CICA Chairmanship will pass on from Kazakhstan to Azerbaijan. Main outcomes of the SOC meeting included updates to the CICA Catalogue of Confidence Building Measures (CBMs), introducing new CBM on volunteerism to enhance civic engagement.