DUSHANBE, Oct. 20 (Xinhua) -- The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) member states on Tuesday identified economic and trade cooperation as one of the core areas of the organization's work.
In a joint communique issued at the 25th Meeting of the Council of Heads of Government (Prime Ministers) of Member States of the SCO in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, the heads of delegations expressed their view that mutually beneficial cooperation in the banking and financial sectors should be deepened, information, experience and best practices exchanged, and a favorable environment created for the development of the financial services market.
They reiterated that the member states concerned would continue to cooperate and gradually expand the share of settlements conducted in local currencies.
The heads of delegations affirmed the progress made by the member states concerned in establishing the SCO Development Bank and emphasized the importance of continuing to advance this work.
They agreed on the need to continue fostering a stable, transparent and predictable trading environment.
They also advocated expanding all-round economic cooperation, further improving the business environment for investment, and vigorously supporting joint ventures and investment projects. ■