BAKU, October 15: Delegations from several nations, including Türkiye, Iran, Kuwait, Pakistan, and the Palestinian Authority, staged a coordinated walk out on Thursday as Israeli President Isaac Herzog took the floor to address the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) summit in Baku. The high-level diplomatic forum, hosted by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, convened leaders, foreign ministers, and senior officials from across Asia and the Middle East to deliberate on regional security, connectivity, sustainable development, and economic cooperation. However, proceedings faced immediate political friction as the Israeli president began his scheduled address around midday.
According to regional reports and diplomatic observers, representatives from multiple participating member states rose from their seats and exited the main gathering hall in protest. The walkout included the Turkish delegation—led by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan—alongside representatives representing Iran, Kuwait, Pakistan, and the Palestinian Authority. Similar diplomatic boycotts have occurred at other international forums over ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, highlighting deep geopolitical divisions within multilateral organizations.
Despite the departure of several delegations, other regional representatives remained inside the hall. According to summit attendees, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani stayed in his seat to listen to President Herzog’s remarks, alongside diplomatic teams from Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and various Central Asian member states.
CICA Summit Dynamics and Bilateral Talks
The seventh CICA summit aims to foster multilateral dialogue and confidence-building measures amidst volatile security landscapes. Prior to the plenary session, President Herzog held bilateral discussions with host leader President Ilham Aliyev. During their meeting, Israeli and Azerbaijani officials characterized bilateral ties as robust, focusing strategic dialogue on bilateral cooperation in trade, energy, and security sectors.
The ongoing summit is expected to conclude with the adoption of the Baku Declaration, alongside specific framework statements addressing occupational safety, health cooperation, and the formal accession of Laos as a new member state. Organizers emphasized that the conference serves primarily as a neutral platform for dialogue, even as geopolitical tensions among member states routinely spill over into plenary sessions.
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