Here is the 2nd installment of our new bi-weekly series, the Foreign Policy Roundups. In every roundup, I offer a very brief 1-2 sentence summary of foreign policy news, with a link to the original article. Most of the articles are from Mongolian-language sources. As a non-native Mongolian speaker, I welcome comments on any mistakes, especially if I incorrectly translated ministry names or other governmental institutions. I am still tinkering with the formatting, but trust that the new layout is a big step forward.
Mining
The Mongolian Ministry of Mining signed a memorandum with the French Geological Service on scientific and technological cooperation.
Minister of Mines, D. Gankhuyag made an official visit to Australia. During this trip, he discussed scholarship agreements for Mongolian students to study in Australia.
As Mongolia marked UN World Environment day, President Elbegdorj stressed Mongolia’s potential as a source of wind power, not just mineral resources.
CSIS ran an article on China’s impact on Mongolia’s resource policies.
Incidents
Over the past several weeks, the E.U. has been investigating 5 counts of money laundering in Mongolia. One incident involved 5 transfers of 201,000 euro each to B. Davaadorj, Mongolia’s ambassador to Germany.
Diplomacy
Mongolia decided to open new consulates in Jakarta, Pusan, and Hailar; plus, embassies in Brasilia, Kabul, Istanbul, and Bishkek.
Robert Reid, Country Director of the Millennium Challenge Corporation, was awarded the Mongolian presidential medal of friendship.
Presidential Advisor, R. Bold, received Baatar Ochirov, the Deputy of the Citizen’s Council of the Republic of Kalmykia. They exchanged opinions on topics ranging from education and economic development to Oirat history.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, L. Bold, met with Adriana Poveda, at the Mongolian Consulate in Madrid.
North Korea and Mongolia marked 65 years of diplomatic relations.
Minister of Health, J. Amarsanaa, attended the WHO’s 66th annual meeting in Geneva.
May 27-29, Vice Minister of Foreign Relations D. Gankhuyag attended the Proliferation Security Initiative meeting in Warsaw, Poland. During the meeting, D. Gankhuyag met separately with the Polish and Belarusian representatives, to discuss bilateral diplomatic and economic relations.
Mongolia’s Ambassador to the European Union, Kh. Davaadorj, presented his credentials to the President of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso.
The “Ulaanbaatar Declaration” announced at the 2013 Community of Democracies meeting has been adopted by the UN.
Security
Minister of Defence, D. Bat-Erdene represented Mongolia in Singapore at the Shangri-La Dialogue.
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