At the Third Meeting of Prime Ministers of Member States of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), convened in Bishkek on September 23, 2004 was declared "the Joint Communiqué of the Council of the Governmental Heads (Prime Ministers) of Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States", whose full content is as follows:

Joint Communiqué of the Council of the Governmental Heads (Prime Ministers) of Shanghai Cooperation Organization Member States

The Regular Meeting of Council of the Governmental Heads (Prime Ministers) of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) (to be referred to as "this Organization") was convened in Bishkek on September 23, 2004.

Prime Minister Danial Akhmetov of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Premier Wen Jiabao of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, Prime Minister Nikolay Tanayev of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan, Prime Minister Mikhail Fradkov of the Russian Federation, Deputy Prime Minister Asdulo Gulomof of the Republic of Tajikistan, and Prime-Minister Oktir Sultonov of the Republic of Uzbekistan participated in the meeting.

During the meeting, President Akaev of Kyrgyzstan met with the Prime Ministers of the member states of this Organization.

In order to carry out the agreement reached by this Organization at the Tashkent Summit, the meeting addressed the further development and deepening of cooperation within the Shanghai Cooperation Organization framework in trade, investment, transportation, environmental protection, culture and other areas in a constructive and friendly atmosphere.

The Prime Ministers of the six countries pointed out that the SCO Secretariat and the regional anti-terrorism agency were fully launched in Beijing and Tashkent in 2004, providing an effective tool to achieve the multi-area cooperation as prescribed in the basic document of this Organization to ensure national stability, security and economic development in this region.

It is underscored in the meeting that a full play need urgently be given to the potentials of this Organization, i.e. broad and diversified economic space, rich natural and human resources, immense technological, cultural and educational potentials, so as to achieve mutually beneficial results in economic and trade areas and improve the living standards of the people of the member states.

The Prime Ministers of the six countries gave positive comments on the efforts made by all relevant agencies to conduct specific cooperative activities in the framework of this Organization. It was especially indicated that two meetings had been convened by the economic and trade ministers in 2004, during which the economic cooperation of this Organization was studied, specific activities of the next step identified, and relevant memorandums of understanding signed.

In accordance with all the agreements previously passed, this Organization has started up task forces on e-commerce, customs, adoption of technical rules, criteria and evaluation procedures for qualification, transit potential and investment promotion, so as to carry out all the guideline documents that had been passed.

I. The Prime Ministers of the six countries approved the follow-up plan of the "outline on the multi-lateral economic and trade cooperation among the member states of Shanghai Cooperation Organization", which was passed at the meeting of prime ministers in Beijing on September 23, 2003. The plan covers important cooperation areas among the six countries in economy, technology and culture, involving over 100 specific projects, subjects and cooperation directions, and identifying follow-up mechanisms on a phase-by-phase principle. The member states of this Organization will mainly be committed to creating conditions for the free movement of goods, capital, services and technology, developing necessary legal documents and coordinating relevant legislation.

The Prime Minister of the six countries indicated that cooperation should be continued in areas including the exploitation of oil and gas, the construction of oil and gas pipelines, petroleum chemical industry, hydropower development and mineral prospecting. Much attention will be given to the development of agriculture and food industry, and high and new tech cooperation in IT and telecommunications.

II. The Prime Ministers emphasized that it is vital to conduct cooperation in transportation, coordinate transit transport policies and establish international transport channels. To this end, the Dushanbe meeting of transport ministers of the member states of this Organization should be fully prepared, and the multi-lateral agreement on the facilitation of international road transportation should be formulated befor the end of the first half of 2005.

III. The Prime Ministers discussed environmental protection, maintaining regional ecological balance, reasonably utilizing water resources, as well as preventing desertification and other environmental deterioration.

IV. The Prime Ministers held that cooperation in this Organization should be strengthened in culture, culture, health and sports, so as to further consolidate the friendship among the people of the member states.

V. The Prime Ministers reviewed a series of issues related to the financial security of this Organization, and approved of the Organizational budget for the year 2005.

VI. The Prime Ministers held that the Secretariat should speed up its work together with experts from all member states, to put forward proposals on the establishment procedures and operational principles of this Organization's development fund and industrialists' committee.

VII. The Prime Ministers indicated satisfaction over the memorandum of understanding, signed at the Moscow meeting of economic and trade ministers on September 14, 2004, on establishing a website on the regional economic cooperation of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. The website opening ceremony was conducted during the meeting of Prime Ministers. The utilization of the website will facilitate the further development of the regional economic development.

VIII. The Prime Ministers stressed that in accordance with the principle of opening to outside organizations, this Organization is wiling to establish contacts with international economic forums and agencies, and to act in a coordinated way in order to fulfill their common tasks.

IX. The Council of Prime Ministers severely condemned the terrorist acts that occurred in a member state of this Organization, and emphasized the importance of strengthened cooperation in combating international terrorism and responding to other new threats and challenges.

The Council of Prime Ministers are confident that enlarging and deepening the cooperation within this Organization's framework will help combating more effectively terrorism, separatism and extremism.

The Prime Ministers agreed that the next meeting of prime ministers of the member states of this Organization would be held in Moscow in the second half of 2005.

Prime Minister Akhmetov of the Republic of Kazakhstan

Premier Wen Jiabao of the State Council of the People's Republic of China

Prime Minister Tanayev of the Republic of Kyrgyzstan

Prime Minister Fradkov of the Federal Republic of Russia

Deputy Prime Minister Gulomof of the Republic of Tajikistan

Prime Minister Sultonov of the Republic of Uzbekistan

In Bishkek on September 23, 2004