NEW DELHI, July 17. /TASS/. The Maldives will look at seeking full-fledged membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) based on its experience as a dialogue partner, Maldivian Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid said in an interview with TASS.

According to the top Maldivian diplomat, his country has not yet applied for SCO membership. "To date, we have been admitted as a dialogue partner. It happened this year. We are beginning to cooperate as a dialogue partner and we will make a decision on this matter depending on how things develop," he said.

"We want to gain some experience and will make our decision based on this. Probably, we will try to reach some new agreements in the next five years," he added.

Set up on June 15, 2001 in Shanghai, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization now has nine member countries, namely China, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.