VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
ARCHIVE OF THE OFFICIAL SITE
OF THE 2008-2012 PRIME MINISTER
OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION
VLADIMIR PUTIN
The idea of the SCO Business Council was initially formulated by the Chairman of the Government of Russia at the first meeting of the prime ministers of SCO member states, held in Almaty in 2001. Later, the idea was approved by each party.
The final document of the 2004 Tashkent summit, titled "The Tashkent Declaration", stated that "on top of the efforts both made and to be made with a view to promotion of integration within the SCO framework, the heads of state believe that incorporation of the SCO Development Fund and Business Council is a timely undertaking, and, to this end, authorize the SCO Secretariat to draft the documentation in connection herewith as soon as possible".
The parties decided to have the SCO Business Council be composed of National Branches being formed with the involvement of chambers of commerce and industry, associations of business communities and state-run and privately owned companies.
At the meeting of the ministers of foreign trade of SCO member states, held in Moscow in September 2004, a resolution was made to organize a working group of experts in charge of the SCO Business Council as the non-governmental forum of the business communities of SCO member states. The resolution was approved by the Council of the Heads of Government of SCO Member States (Resolution 12) in Bishkek on September 23, 2004.
In furtherance of the aforementioned decisions and resolutions, the working group of experts in charge of the SCO Business Council was organized. Its meetings were held in December 2004 and in March 2005 in Beijing, and in June and October 2005 in Moscow.
National Branches of the SCO Business Council were organized at the same time. The Russian Branch of the SCO Business Council is headed by D.F. Mezentsev, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, who also acts (by order of the Government of the Russian Federation) as the Commissary in charge of the SCO Business Council. The Russian National Branch is composed of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (employers), RAO UES, Gazprom, and Aeroflot-Russian Airlines Open Joint Stock Company, etc.
The first meeting of the Board of the SCO Business Council ("the Board") was held in Moscow on October 25, 2005. It was agreed that the Secretariat of the SCO Business Council would be based in Moscow. Parameters of the regulatory documents of the Business Council have been worked out.
The Inauguration Session of the SCO Business Council was held in Shanghai on June 14 - 15, 2006, within the framework of the SCO summit and the 5th anniversary of the SCO Charter execution.
Russia's representative D.F. Mezentsev was elected Chairman of the SCO Business Council for 2006 - 2009.
In the follow-up period, several meetings of the top executives of National Branches of the SCO Business Council were held to discuss potential steps and areas of focus.
At the meeting of the heads of government of SCO member states held in Dushanbe in September 2006, the Chairman of the SCO Business Council informed the audience about the Business Council's intention to develop interaction in health care. The parties are engaged in developing the different forms and formats of their partnership in this respect.
