Maldives Officially Becomes A Dialogue Partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization

On Friday, the Republic of Maldives officially joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as a Dialogue Partner. The Memorandum of Understanding that formalized the Dialogue Status of the Maldives was signed on behalf of the Government of Maldives by the High Commissioner of Maldives to India, Ibrahim Shaheeb on the sidelines of the SCO Council of Foreign Ministers held in Goa, India.

At the signing ceremony, High Commissioner Shaheeb pledged the Maldives’ commitment to become an active and responsible Dialogue Partner of the organization and to embrace the shared values of mutual trust, benefit, equality, consultation and respect for cultural diversity and pursue common development.

The SCO Member States endorsed the decision to accord the Maldives the status of Dialogue Partner at the 22^nd Meeting of the Council of Head of States of the SCO held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan last September 2022. Following the decision, the Maldives received various capacity-building and training opportunities which are open to Dialogue Partners. This step also aligns with the Government’s vision to build strong diplomatic and economic relations within Asia, particularly with emerging economies.

In its capacity as Dialogue Partner, Maldives will continue to closely work with SCO and other Member States on a diverse range of issues. This includes trade, investment, health, environment, climate change, science, and technology. India is the current chair of the SCO comprising 8 Member States, 4 Observer States and 14 Dialogue Partners. The organization was founded on June 2001.