In the joint declaration issued at the end of their summit in Istanbul, Turkey on June 9, leaders from the CICA members agreed that they will work together to fight the proliferation of nuclear weapons, combat terrorism, and tackle catastrophes caused by climate change, including rising sea levels, natural calamities and diseases. They will also boost economic cooperation and cultural exchanges for development and peace in Asia .

On addressing the closing session, the Turkish President Abdullah Gul, who chaired the third CICA summit, called on all nations in the region to work together to counter threats to stability and peace in the region and the world.

He asked those countries present to lay out specific measures to help stabilise the Middle East, demanded that Israel withdraws its troops from occupied areas and condemned Israel for its May 31 attack on a ship carrying a cargo of aid to the Gaza strip.

Vietnam’s Vice President Nguyen Thi Doan attended the event where she suggested more cooperation between CICA and other international organisations like ASEAN, OSCE and OIC and the adoption of a long-term cooperation strategy and a closer coordinating mechanism amongst CICA members for handling peace and security issues in the region.

Vietnam’s officially joining of the CICA was announced at this summit. The country first took part in the organization in 1993 as a guest participant at first and then as an observer.

On the sidelines of the event, Vice President Doan met with the Bangladeshi Foreign Minister, who expressed hopes that Vietnam will contribute productively to the CICA’s affairs.

The Bangladeshi minister said that she wanted to see the two countries cooperating more closely and effectively in the fields of agriculture, industry, culture, education and healthcare.

The Vietnamese leader said the two countries need to continue cooperating at regional and international forums while reiterating Vietnam ’s consistent policy of furthering its friendship and cooperation with South Asian countries, including Bangladesh./.