VLADIVOSTOK, September 12. /TASS/. Russia is interested in Mongolia becoming a full-fledged member of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko said at a session of the 8th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF).

"For 20 years, Mongolia has been an observer in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization but we think that its observer status does not correspond to the potential opportunities provided by this organization. So we would be interested in elevating this status so that Mongolia can become a full-fledged SCO member like other countries have been doing recently," the senior diplomat said.