Full text of joint communique on outcomes of 14th SCO prime ministers' meeting (Part I)

The 14th Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) prime ministers' meeting was held Tuesday in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province. A joint communique on the outcomes was issued after the meeting.

Following is an English version of the joint communique, which can be found on the official website of the SCO.

JOINT COMMUNIQUE on the outcomes of the 14th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Governments (Prime Ministers) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States

On 14-15 December 2015 in Zhengzhou (Henan province) hosted 14th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Governments (Prime Ministers) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (hereinafter SCO or Organization) Member States, attended by Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan K. Masimov, Premier of the State Council of People' s Republic of China Li Keqiang, Prime Minister of Kyrgyz Republic T. Sariev, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation D. Medvedev, Prime Minister of the Republic of Tajikistan K. Rasulzoda and First Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Uzbekistan R. Azimov.

Premier of the State Council of People' s Republic of China Li Keqiang presided at the meeting.

Participants in the meeting also included Secretary-General of the SCO D. Mezentsev, Director of the Executive Committee of the Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure Zhang Xinfeng, President of the SCO Business Council S. Katyrin and authorized representative of the SCO Interbank Consortium Council V. Dmitriev.

The meeting was also attended by representatives of observer states with the SCO: Chief Executive Officer of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah, Deputy Head of Administration of the President of the Republic of Belarus N. Snopkov, Minister of State of External Affairs of the Republic of India Vjay Kumar Singh, Minister of Communication and Information Technology of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mahmoud Vaezi, Deputy Prime Minister of Mongolia Tserendash Oyunbaatar, Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, as well as UN Under-Secretary-General, UNESCAP Executive Secretary Shamshad Akhtar, and Executive Director of the Secretariat of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia Gong Jianwei.

Heads of delegations exchanged views in a constructive and businesslike atmosphere on a wide range of issues of international and regional economic growth, discussed prospects and measures for improving economic and humanitarian cooperation for further strengthening of mutual understanding and traditional friendship between peoples of the SCO member states and have agreed on the following:

1. Heads of Governments have noted that world economy is still restoring after the global crisis and this process has not become stable and lasting. With global demand in decline the rate of international trade and investment has slowed down. Additional negative influence on world economy is posed by threats pertaining to terrorism, natural disasters, environmental degradation, spread of dangerous infectious diseases.

In view of this the SCO member states will actively implement the arrangements of the Meeting of Heads of State of the SCO Member States (10 July 2015, Ufa) to promote regional cooperation, mutually create beneficial conditions for investment and business activities, apply efforts to support peaceful development, prosperity and stability of all member states and the region in general, provide input in revival of global economy.

Heads of Governments have confirmed the importance of supporting the process of forming an open, non-discriminatory and inclusive multilateral trading system based on principles of equality, mutual respect and benefits, which would facilitate economic growth, sustainable development and create jobs.

2. Heads of Governments have stated substantial progress in development of cooperation in the framework of the Organization in economic, humanitarian and other dimensions in the period after the Meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of Governments (15 December 2015, Astana).

In accordance with the outcomes of the Ufa summit of the SCO Heads of Governments have underscored the need for practical implementation of the SCO Development Strategy 2025, the Program for Multilateral Cooperation in Trade and Economy of the SCO Member States and the Action Plan for its implementation, the List of Events for Further Development of Project Activities in the Framework of the SCO for 2012-2016, as well as the possibility for further expansion of cooperation in the spheres of trade, economy, finance, investment, transportation, telecommunication, customs, agriculture and energy, improvement of beneficial conditions for trade and investment, promoting economic growth based on innovations, modernization of industrial sector via joint creation of hi-tech enterprises that would support the establishment of stable socio-economic development of the SCO member states and improve the well-being of the peoples of the member states.

3. Heads of Governments confirming the support for the initiative of People' s Republic of China on Silk Road Economic Belt have issued a Statement on regional economic cooperation. They are convinced that joint work of the SCO member states in close cooperation with observers and dialogue partners, which includes activities in the framework of implementation of the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative, will promote gradual sustainable economic growth in the interest of keeping and supporting peace and stability in the region.

4. Heads of Governments support mutually beneficial regional and international cooperation in the interests of all the SCO member states in the sphere of developing industrial potential and use of production capacities, pointing out their importance from the viewpoint of optimal allocation of financial assets, technologies and resources, achieving balance between supply and demand, tapping the potential of the market, solving tasks of industrial development, as well as modernizing and transforming of industry.

5. Heads of Governments have approved the outcome of the 14th Ministerial Conference of the SCO Member States on external economy and trade activities that took place on 16 September 2015 in Xian, including the arrangement to create a specialized workgroup on trade facilitation.

Heads of Governments deem necessary to continue the work on creating beneficial conditions for trade and investment, paying special attention to joint projects and cooperation events in the SCO framework.

Relevant ministries and agencies of the SCO member states, as well as the SCO Secretariat, the SCO Business Council and the SCO Interbank Consortium have been tasked with continuing the work on the draft List of Events on further development of project activities within the SCO framework for 2017-2021 for it to be adopted at the next Meeting of the Council of Heads of Governments (Prime Ministers) of the SCO Member States.

6. Heads of Governments highly appreciate practical events within the SCO framework aimed at expansion of regional economic interaction, including the business conference and the Meeting of the Board of the SCO Business Council in the framework of St. Petersburg Economic Forum on 18-19 June 2015, Meeting of the Council of the Interbank Consortium on 9 July 2015 in Ufa and the exhibition of goods from the SCO countries on 24-26 September in Xian.

7. To create beneficial opportunities for development of trade and investment cooperation Heads of Governments have supported expansion of cooperation in the sphere of macroeconomic and financial policy of the member states. They believe that it is important to fully tap the potential of interbank cooperation, utilize existing and emerging financial mechanisms in the SCO space.

Heads of Governments, noting the importance of continuing the work on creating the SCO Development Bank and the SCO Development Foundation (Specialized account) to stimulate trade and investment ties in the region, have tasked heads of relevant ministries and agencies of the SCO member states with considering the aforementioned issue at the third Meeting of Ministers of Finance and Presidents of Central (National) Banks of the SCO member states in 2016 in Kyrgyz Republic.

8. Heads of Governments have underscored the necessity of expedient enactment of the SCO Intergovernmental Agreement on Creating Beneficial Conditions for International Road Transportation (12 September 2014, Dushanbe). Implementation of this Agreement will promote development of multi-modal transportation, forming of a beneficial network of transportation infrastructure and maximization of the transit potential of the SCO member states.

Heads of Governments have noted the necessity to implement the arrangements reached in the framework of the seventh Meeting of Ministers of Transportation of the SCO member states on 15 May 2015 in Ufa. (mo