Asia forum chief sends Chinese New Year wishes

NUR-SULTAN -- The executive director of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Secretariat, on Wednesday extended his New Year wishes to the Chinese people.

"On behalf of the CICA Secretariat, I congratulate the Chinese people on the upcoming Lunar New Year -- a wonderful and bright holiday of spring," said Kairat Sarybai, adding that the Spring Festival symbolizes family reunions and carries on a thousand-year-old tradition.

Sarybai said the Year of the Ox will bring good fortune, luck and happiness. "I wish the friendly Chinese people peace, prosperity and all the best," he said.

Noting that China adheres to multilateralism in its foreign policy and is an active member of the forum, Sarybai said he is "grateful to the Chinese government for its contributions in the development of the CICA."

"I believe the mutual trust, support and efforts of the People's Republic of China will contribute to the further development of the forum," Sarybai added.

The CICA is a multilateral cooperation body that seeks to promote peace, security and interaction in Asia. It now has 27 member states and 13 observers including eight states and five organizations.

Kazakhstan assumed the chairmanship of the CICA for 2020-2022 in September last year.