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Press Release: Saudi Arabia becomes tenth CICA Observer State

Saudi Arabia has joined the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) as an Observer State, marking a significant milestone in further geographic expansion of this pan-continental organization for fostering peace and security in Asia.

Saudi Arabia’s application to become an Observer State was pre-approved at the CICA Senior Officials Committee meeting on 12 December 2023 and the decision on granting the nation Observer status was adopted today, on 26 December 2023, by the CICA Ministerial Council.

Saudi Arabia is one of the Gulf States, of which CICA already includes Member States such as Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE and Qatar, which are active participants of the organization. Observer status of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will further increase the representation of this sub-region in CICA and will thereby broaden and enrich cooperation across Asia. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia actively contributes to promoting multilateralism in Asia and in the rest of the world. Saudi Arabia currently participates in various international organizations, including the League of Arab States (LAS), which is a CICA observer organization, as well as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).

Saudi Arabia’s application to become a CICA Observer State underscores the importance of collective efforts in addressing global and regional challenges and reflects the region’s shared aspiration for a more connected international community. Over the last three years, the CICA family has experienced notable growth, with Kuwait becoming a Member in 2022, Turkmenistan an Observer in 2021, and the Eurasian Economic Union a partner organization in 2022. The organization’s expansion is a very welcome development for CICA and is invaluable for its further development as a pan-Asian organization.