Baku summit adopts declaration on security and AI amid diplomatic tensions

Leaders and officials meeting in Baku adopted a declaration addressing security, economic and environmental risks at the 7th Summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA). The gathering also produced the forum’s first common position on weighing AI’s economic potential against its security risks.

Middle East disputes exposed divisions among participants. Delegations including those from Turkey, Iran, Kuwait and Pakistan walked out as Israeli President Isaac Herzog started speaking. Qatar’s emir and representatives from the UAE and Bahrain remained in the hall.

Herzog emphasised practical cooperation and shared interests. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi urged a diplomatic resolution between the US and Iran, restraint in Yemen and unobstructed passage through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.

Transport and digital links between Asia and Europe were another focus. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev inaugurated the Trans-Caspian fibre-optic cable on the Caspian seabed. The line will improve digital connections towards Europe through the Black Sea as part of the wider Middle Corridor project.

Tokayev proposed a transport strategy connecting major routes, including the Belt and Road, Middle Corridor and Caspian Green Energy Corridor. Uzbekistan’s President Shavkat Mirziyoyev advocated an expert platform within CICA to develop ethical AI standards and help prevent a widening technological divide.

Members unanimously approved another two-year Azerbaijani chairmanship covering 2026-2028 and formally admitted Laos. The Baku Declaration also called for dialogue between civilisations, tolerance and innovation in education.