Azerbaijan Ambassador To Kenya Sultan Hajiyev Appointed Secretary-General Of CICA For 2026–2030

In a significant development in international diplomacy, Azerbaijan Ambassador to Kenya Sultan Hajiyev has been appointed Secretary-General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) for the 2026–2030 term.

The appointment was approved during the Seventh CICA Summit, held in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 15 October 2026, placing the experienced Azerbaijan diplomat at the helm of a multilateral platform dedicated to strengthening dialogue, confidence-building, peace and security across Asia.

The development comes at a time when Kenya-Azerbaijan Milestones and emerging opportunities share a timely perspective on the intersection of diplomatic engagement, international cooperation and Africa’s expanding global partnerships.

According to the CICA Secretariat, member states unanimously supported Hajiyev’s candidacy, which had been nominated by Azerbaijan. He succeeds Ambassador Kairat Sarybay, whose six-year tenure as Secretary-General has concluded this 2026.
Ambassador Kairat Sarybay is a former Deputy Foreign Minister of Kazakhstan and also former assistant to the President on Foreign Policy.

Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs subsequently congratulated Hajiyev on his appointment, expressing confidence in his ability to advance CICA’s objectives of strengthening dialogue, mutual trust and cooperation across Asia.

A NEW CHAPTER FOR MULTILATERAL DIPLOMACY

Established following an initiative proposed by Kazakhstan in 1992, CICA has developed into a multilateral forum bringing together countries with diverse political, economic and security interests.

Its central objective is to promote peace, security and stability through dialogue, confidence-building measures and cooperation among participating states.

CICA operates as a diplomatic platform, Unlike a military alliance, intended to encourage constructive engagement and peaceful approaches to shared challenges… simply decisions based on consensus among participating states.

Its agenda spans several areas, including economic cooperation, environmental protection, human development, emerging threats and military-political confidence-building.

Hajiyev’s appointment comes at a particularly important moment for the organisation as it pursues institutional development and seeks to strengthen its contribution to regional and international cooperation.

The CICA Secretariat is headquartered in Astana, Kazakhstan, while the organisation’s Seventh Summit was hosted in Baku under Azerbaijan’s chairmanship.

Read Also : The Government of Kenya and The Nature Conservancy unveil US$160m Thamani Asili community conservation Initiative