Azerbaijan hosted the seventh summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) in Baku on Thursday, October 15, 2026. It put senior officials from states on opposing sides of the Middle East conflict in one hall. A summit declaration, the Baku Declaration, was adopted, according to Euronews and Azerbaijani outlets. Some delegations walked out during the Israeli president’s address.
According to Euronews, President Ilham Aliyev gathered Israeli President Isaac Herzog, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. Also present were a UAE minister of state, a Palestinian delegation led by Foreign Minister Varsen Aghabekian Shahin and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Positron Today described it as the first time since the Iran war began that senior leaders from countries facing regional conflicts had met in this format.
What happened in the hall
Euronews, as relayed by ua.news, reported that delegations from Türkiye, Iran, Kuwait and Pakistan left the hall during Herzog’s address. Qatar’s emir and the UAE and Bahraini delegations stayed to listen. Herzog told the summit that Israel was focused on practical cooperation and shared interests.
The Jewish News Syndicate quoted Herzog as saying that “peace cannot exist with terror, and cooperation cannot thrive with boycotts”. His office said he also held a sideline meeting with Wang Yi, covering bilateral ties and the Middle East. On Wednesday, Herzog met Aliyev at the Presidential Palace, according to the Jerusalem Post. The Israeli president’s office said they discussed the strategic relationship and regional security.
The Qatar angle drew attention. Eastern Herald reported that the emir told his Shura Council on Tuesday that events in Gaza were “undoubtedly a genocide”, then flew to Baku a day later. The same outlet noted that no publication had said whether he and Herzog would meet. Euronews also reported that Herzog appeared to have travelled on a commercial Azerbaijan Airlines flight, reportedly so the aircraft could cross Turkish airspace.
Hormuz and the US-Iran track
The Iran war and Gulf shipping were the most consequential security themes. According to the Euronews summary carried by ua.news, Wang Yi called for a diplomatic settlement between the United States and Iran. He also stressed the need for unimpeded navigation through the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea.
Azerbaijan’s APA news agency carried a headline attributing Gharibabadi’s remarks to the summit. In it, the Iranian official described current difficulties in the Strait of Hormuz as the result of military aggression and a naval blockade. Washington was not among the participants, so the CICA setting gave Beijing and Tehran a platform without a US counterpart in the room.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev warned delegates that “when dialogue weakens, the risk of wrong decisions being made increases”, according to Yahoo News Australia. The remark captured the forum’s stated purpose of confidence building among states that are frequently in dispute.
Institutional outcomes
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said the Baku Declaration would serve as a solid foundation for future work, according to the Azerbaijani presidency’s account carried by APA. Operativmm reported that Laos joined CICA as a member state at the summit. It added that agreements reached ahead of the meeting could extend Azerbaijan’s chairmanship through 2028. Eastern Herald reported that Herzog described the extension of the chairmanship for 2026 to 2028 as a sign of trust in Baku. Operativmm also reported that a new Secretariat head would replace Kairat Sarybay, who has led it for six years, if formally confirmed.
Aliyev used his speech to criticise what he called “double standards and selective approaches” in resolving interstate relations. According to Euronews, he again described the policies of the European Parliament and the Council of Europe towards Azerbaijan as “outdated”.
Strategic implications
CICA is a consensus-based forum with limited enforcement capacity, so the practical weight of the Baku Declaration will depend on follow-through. Even so, the attendance list illustrates Azerbaijan’s positioning as a convenor with working relations on several sides of the region’s fault lines. Operativmm reported that Aliyev discussed Azerbaijan’s role in the Middle Corridor transport network with Wang Yi. That points to a connectivity agenda in which China and Baku share an interest.
The walkouts show the limits of that convening role. Fidan’s delegation and Iran’s left during the Israeli address, while Gulf delegations stayed, a split that matches the diverging postures towards Israel among CICA members. The summit did not produce a visible movement on the Gaza or Iran files. No reports reviewed show a bilateral breakthrough between adversaries.
What to watch
- Formal confirmation of the Secretariat leadership change and the 2026 to 2028 chairmanship extension, both described in reporting as pending or proposed.
- Publication of the full Baku Declaration text, in particular its language on Hormuz navigation, the Middle East and Gaza.
- US-Iran diplomacy and Hormuz shipping conditions, which China has linked to a negotiated settlement.
- Rubio’s trip to India and Uzbekistan, due to start Saturday according to the State Department, as reported by the FDD overnight brief. Uzbekistan’s president spoke at the Baku summit.
- Follow-up Azerbaijan-China connectivity talks on the Middle Corridor.
Sources
- Azerbaijan engineers rare summit with in-conflict Middle East and Asian leaders
- Azerbaijan hosts rare summit of both converging and opposing Middle East and Asian leaders
- CICA summit adopts Baku Declaration, Euronews via ua.news
- Baku hosted 7th CICA Summit, President Ilham Aliyev addressed the event
- In Azerbaijan, Herzog urges broader peace despite terror
- Isaac Herzog meets Azerbaijan's Aliyev, Bahraini FM at CICA summit in Baku
- Qatar's Emir Joins Baku CICA Summit; Herzog Is Also There
- What is CICA and what role does Azerbaijan play in the forum?
- Azerbaijan brings regional rivals together at rare summit
- Azerbaijan hosts rare summit of both converging and opposing leaders, Yahoo News Australia
Top image: Fanti Salms / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
This article was produced by the Intelligence Report Desk. Sources are linked below.
