The CICA forum (Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia) is a forum for regional cooperation aimed at promoting peace and security in Asia, the Foreign Ministry of Israel said in a statement on 23 October.

It was launched by Kazakhstani President Nursultan Nazarbayev in 1992.

The forum consists of twenty member states, including Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Israel, as well as several observer states, including the United States and Japan.

From Israel’s point of view, the forum is unique in that several of the member states such as Pakistan and Iran do not have diplomatic relations with Israel.

The seminar will be jointly organized by several MFA departments: MASHAV - Center for International Cooperation, the Regional Security Department and the Division for Asia and the Pacific. The forum will be held within the framework of CICA activities for the promotion of confidence-building methods (CBMs) between the member countries.

Issues to be discussed during the seminar include modern agricultural methods, agricultural research and development, water management, desertification, etc. Forum participants will also tour the Lachish region.