LKIIRSS Participates in the 13th CICA Think Tank Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan

September 10, 2025    Reading Time: < 1 minute

Reading Time: < 1 min read

The Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies
(LKIIRSS) participated in the Thirteenth Meeting of the Conference on Interaction and
Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA)’s Think Tank Forum, held from 9 to 10
September 2025 in Baku, Azerbaijan. This year’s forum was conducted under the theme
“Resonance of Development and Security: Regional Cooperation and Governance in
the Institutional Transformation of CICA.” The event was jointly organized by the
Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS) and the Center of Analysis of
International Relations (AIR Center). LKIIRSS is the designated member for the CICA Think
Tank Forum representing Sri Lanka since coming to academic partnership with SIIS in
2013.

The forum convened experts, scholars, and policymakers from across Asia to deliberate on
pressing regional issues. Discussions centered on a range of interlinked topics, including
regional security, economic development, trade, connectivity, supply chain resilience, and
digital governance. Representatives from Central Asia, South Asia, Southeast Asia, East
Asia, and West Asia shared diverse perspectives, fostering a rich dialogue on strengthening
regional cooperation in the face of shared challenges and evolving opportunities.
LKI was represented virtually by Rear Admiral Y. N. Jayarathne (Retd), a Board Member of
the Institute, and Ms. Sulochana Wijayasinghe, a Research Assistant. Both speakers
contributed to the forum by sharing insights and articulating Sri Lanka’s perspectives on
regional cooperation, institutional transformation, and the crucial role of inclusive
governance in fostering peace and stability across Asia. LKIIRSS intends to broaden the
engagements with similar think-tanks of Asian region in better facilitating the regional
cooperation and participation.