Kazakh President suggests transforming CICA into OSDA

SHANGHAI. KAZINFORM - President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev delivered a keynote speech at the fourth summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Shanghai on Wednesday morning.

At the top-level meeting, President Nazarbayev suggested transforming CICA into the Organization for Security and Development in Asia (OSDA). "I am confident it is high time to create an effective Organization for Security and Development in Asia based on the CICA," the Head of State said. "Global crisis gradually conquers one sphere after another: finances, economy, politics, and then culture. The crisis has embraced the entire civilization. And that is why we, the Asian countries, need to engage in peace building and development. And the OSDA can become a key instrument in that process," N. Nazarbayev added. "I call on all leaders of the CICA member countries not to put off this issue indefinitely."