Turkey has become a dialogue partner of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu signed a memorandum of understanding with the SCO’s Secretary General Dmitry Mezentsev in Kazakhstan’s commercial capital of Almaty on Friday.

Mezentsev said at the signing ceremony that Turkey, now as a dialogue partner, would make effort to maintain regional security and stability along with other member states.

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization was founded in June 2001. Its member states consist of China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Dialogue Partners now consist of Belarus, Sri Lanka and Turkey.