OREANDA-NEWS. December 17, 2014. Council meeting of Heads of Government of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member-states has been held in Astana.

The meeting was attended by Kazakh Prime Minister Karim Massimov, Primier of the State Council of China Li Keqiang, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Djoomart Otorbaev, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister of Tajikistan Kohir Rasulzoda, First Deputy Prime Minister of Uzbekistan Rustam Azimov. Chief Executive Officer of Afghanistan Abdullah Abdullah, State Minister of Foreign Affairs of India Vijay Kumar Singh, Minister of Agriculture of Iran Mahmoud Hojjati Najaf Abadi, Ambassador of Mongolia to the Republic of Kazakhstan Zhagir Suhee, Adviser to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on National Security and Foreign Affairs Sartadzh Aziz participated in the meeting from the SCO observer-countries.

There are issues of deepening trade-economic and humanitarian cooperation of SCO member states in the center of attention. The mechanisms of financial support of the project activity, the activity of the SCO Business Council and SCO Interbank Association in 2013-2014, the Organization's budget for 2015 and other issues related to financial and organizational activities of the SCO permanent bodies have also been examined.

Heads of Government have discussed the state and prospects of cooperation and exchanged views on further enhancing cooperation during the meeting in a narrow circle.

Speaking at the meeting in an expanded format K. Massimov noted that they are looking for ways of further development in the face of continuing global economic turbulence, slowdown in economic activity, growth of unemployment and social tension in the SCO world.

"In this regard, we will conduct a comprehensive work on the development of the SCO Development Strategy until 2025, which will unlock the potential of the Organization, make it stronger, and be able to react promptly to modern challenges and threats. Thus it would be possible to give an impetus to the Organization's activities," Karim Massimov said.

Kazakh Prime Minister noted the huge economic, financial, energy, transport and scientific and technical potential of the Organization.

"Today the efficient use of available resources for maximum minimization of the consequences of global financial and economic turmoil is important. It is necessary to intensify multilateral practical cooperation within the SCO for sustainable socio-economic growth of the Member States of the Organization," Karim Massimov said.

One of the most important conditions for further economic integration within the SCO, according to K. Massimov, is the development of modern transport and communication infrastructure.

"Kazakhstan plans to invest heavily in road construction in the next few years in the framework of the New Economic Policy "Nurly Zhol" announced by the Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev. We are ready to become an important part of the transit corridor in the SCO along with highway "Western Europe - Western China" under construction," Prime Minister said.

"Kazakhstan considers humanitarian cooperation as a key element contributing to the strengthening of good-neighborliness, friendship and mutual understanding in the SCO space. We believe that humanitarian contacts between our countries are able to ensure the continuity of "Shanghai Spirit", which is one of the basic principles of our organization cooperation," K. Massimov continued.

Head of the Kazakh Government has expressed confidence that the intensification of economic cooperation should be the cornerstone of the SCO development for decades to come.

"For its part, Kazakhstan is ready to teamwork, aimed at improving the organization, intensifying mutual beneficial cooperation and achieving practical results," K. Massimov concluded his speech.

Following the meeting Joint communique and Decisions of the Council of Heads of Governments of the SCO were signed.