DUSHANBE, 20.09.2018 /NIAT “Khovar”/. The seventeenth meeting of the ministers responsible for foreign economic and foreign trade activities of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization was held on September 19 in Dushanbe.

As NIAT “Khovar” correspondent reports, it was attended by the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Republic of Tajikistan Nematullo Hikmatullozoda, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of India to Tajikistan Somnath Ghosh, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Kazakhstan to Tajikistan Nurlan Seitimov, Assistant to the Minister of Commerce of the People’s Republic of China Lee Chegan, Deputy Minister of Economy of Kyrgyzstan Eldar Alisherov, Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Azer Mutalimoglu Talibov,  Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Pakistan in Tajikistan Imtiaz Ahmad Kazi, Minister of Foreign Trade of Uzbekistan Jamshid Khojaev.

The meeting was also attended by SCO Deputy Secretary-General Nurlan Akkoshkarov and Executive Secretary of the SCO Business Council Sergey Kanavsky.

The meeting was chaired by the Minister of Economic Development and Trade of the Republic of Tajikistan Nematullo Hikmatullozoda.

“The parties considered a wide range of issues on further development and deepening of regional economic cooperation, exchanged views on the state and prospects of trade, economic and investment cooperation in the SCO region”, — our correspondent noted.

The heads of delegation underlined the importance of further deepening cooperation aimed at consistently strengthening of an open, inclusive, rule-based and non-discriminatory multilateral trading system, as well as preventing any unilateral protectionist actions in trade.

In this regard, it was noted that the World Trade Organization remains a key platform for discussing of the international trade agenda and adopting authoritative, effective multilateral trade rules.

The heads of delegations took note of the draft report of the SCO Secretariat on the implementation of the program of multilateral trade and economic cooperation of the SCO member states and recommended to submit it in accordance with the established procedure for approval of the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) of the SCO member states to be held on 11-12th October 2018 in Dushanbe.

Special working groups were instructed to intensify work on the implementation of SCO program and planning documents on economic topics.

The Regulation on the Special Working Group of the SCO member states on customs cooperation was approved.

The parties unanimously confirmed their intention to continue work aimed at creating a favorable environment for participants of the economic activities of the SCO countries, and to continue work on the relevant SCO documents on cooperation in the field of services and electronic commerce.

The 2019 ministerial meeting will be held in Uzbekistan.