MOSCOW,September 10. /ITAR-TASS/. Decisions to be made at a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Dushanbe on September 11-12 will make it possible to start the process of enlarging the Organization within the period of Russia's presidency, Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov stated.

The Minister pointed out in an article, published in Rossiskaya Gazeta on Wednesday under the headline "The Shanghai Cooperation Organization: Through Security and Stability to Peace and Prosperity", that those present at the Summit "are to make decisions which will finalize the formation of legal, administrative and financial conditions for the admission of new members to the SCO". "This will provide an opportunity within the period of Russia's presidency to launch a process of enlarging the Organization. Simultaneously with that, we shall work to promote deeper cooperation with Observer and Dialogue Partner Countries," Lavrov added.

Russia's presidency will follow the SCO summit in Dushanbe. The Minister is convinced that in close interaction with partners, Russia "will succeed in adding fresh dynamism to the process of progressive development of the SCO and a further enhancement of its role in the cause of ensurance of peace and prosperity in the region".

"Aware that present-day challenges are of comprehensive and interconnected character, Russia during its presidency will come out in favour of taking coordinated steps in the SCO in the fields of economic, financial, energy and food security," the Minister pointed out.

"The persisting instability of the world economy and the risks of recurrence of crisis phenomena prompt the need to step up economic interaction," Lavrov pointed out. "Measures are projected for a larger-scale introduction of mutual settlements in national currencies. There are good prospects for launching large-scale multilateral projects in the fields of transport, energy, science and technology, including those based on innovations, agriculture, and peaceful uses of outer space". He wrote that the Summit is also "to determine an optimum model of mechanism for financial clearing of designing activities".

The Minister pointed to an active formation of a common scientific, educational, cultural and humanitarian space of the SCO. "A joint celebration of the 70th Victory in the Second World War will become a vivid reaffirmation of the member-countries' commitment to the preservation of our common historical memory, and to the strengthening of the atmosphere of mutual trust, including that with the use of th e resources of the Youth Council and Forum of the SCO," Lavrov emphasized.