According to the Nepali Embassy in Beijing, Maskey also thanked the organisation's secretariat for its role to welcome Nepal as a dialogue partner in the Eurasian political, economic and military bloc. The 15th annual summit of the organisation held in Russia granted the status to Nepal, as well as Cambodia, Azerbaijan and Armenia, on July 10.

“He expressed his confidence that the SCO would be an important platform for Nepal to give boost to its economy, which has been affected by the recent earthquakes, through the means of cooperation in economic development, cultural exchange and development of science, energy, technology and tourism sectors under SCO mechanisms,"  the embassy said in a statement.

On the occasion, Mezentsev said that the date and venue to sign a memorandum of understanding, which will officially recognise Nepal as a dialogue partner, will be confirmed soon.

The members of the regional organisation, eastablished in 2001 and headquartered in Beijing, include China, Russia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan while India and Pakistan have recently been granted full membership.