ALMATY, June 17 (RIA Novosti) - Russian President Vladimir Putin said Saturday a summit in Kazakhstan's former capital dedicated to boosting trust in Asia was unique and had wide opportunities.

Putin said the second summit of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia established in 2002 had proved its importance and "priority of dialogue over contradictions."

Putin said the CICMA had taken "steps to resolve regional conflicts and ease tensions", adding that Russia would keep playing an important role in the activities of the conference.

"Threats and challenges facing Asian countries today do not allow us to be idle," he said. "We should do a great deal together and the Russian side is ready to take a most proactive part in this work."

He also said Russia would help boost cooperation within the CICMA, which also comprises Central Asian countries, Afghanistan, Egypt, China, Israel, India, Pakistan, Palestine and Turkey.