It was a busy week in the world of Mongolian diplomacy with both President Elbegdorj and Minister of Foreign Affairs L. Bold attending the 68th Session of the United Nations this past week. I have provided a break down of their activities below. As always, if I have missed anything please do let me know.
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At the 68th Session of the UN:
While attending the UN General meeting, Mongolian President Elbegdorj:
- co-chaired the Roundtable on the Role of Civil Society
- addressed the Roundtable on International and Regional Cooperation and Partnerships for Disability Inclusive Development
- congratulated German Chancellor Angela Merkel on her recent electoral victory
- gave a speech at the International Peace Institute in New York about Mongolia’s political development and successful democratization
- attended the Special Event on the MDG (Millenium Development Goals), where he noted Mongolia’s successful economic growth in recent years and the subsequent progress the nation has made in its human development
- gave a statement at the High-Level Meeting on Nuclear Disarmament, arguing in favor of denuclearization
- gave a statement at the United Nations General Debate, in which he noted the success of the MDG worldwide in reducing poverty and growing the global middle class.
Minster of Foreign Affairs, L. Bold:
- met with the Foreign Ministers of Spain, Australia, Indonesia, Ukraine, Slovenia, Switzerland, Sweden, France, and North Korea
- met with the Foreign Minister of Columbia to discuss how Mongolia’s newly opened embassy in Brazil would contribute to the development of relations with other Latin American countries
- met with the General Director of UNECO, during which he mentioned Mongolia’s successful chairmanship of the Community of Democratic States in 2011-2012, and the Mongolian Government’s presentation of a plan for democratic education to the 67th UN General Assembly last year
- participated in the 2013 UN Treaty Event
- participated in the meeting for Freedom House’s “Lifeline” service (“Lifeline” is a support organization for civil society organizations in authoritarian countries)
- met with the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs
- participated in a discussion on international peacekeeping, led by Finland and Uruguay.
- held a meeting with the US Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, during which the secretary expressed his happiness over the new US-Mongolian Transparency Agreement and Mongolia’s democratic development
- led the section on the abolition of the death penalty alongside the French Foreign Minister
- met with US Trade Representative Michael Froman in New York and signed the Agreement on Transparency in Matters Related to International Trade and Investment.
Mongolia announced the establishment of diplomatic relations with Sierra Leone.
Europe
The OSCE Institute at the University of Hamburg and the Mongolian Institute for Strategic Studies conducted an open training session for civil servants, NGOs, and researchers
Mongolia’s new ambassador to San Marino presented his credentials to the San Marino government.
North America
The Mongolian Consul-General in San Francisco, California met with the state assembly member, Tom Ammiano, to discuss Mongolian social and economic topics.
Mongolian Minister of Development, N. Batbayar, and the U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia, Piper Campbell, signed an agreement, which authorized a financial package of $5.1 USD to the Mongolian government. This additional funding was the direct result of the newly signed US-Mongolia Transparency Agreement.
Leader of the Mongolian Parliament, Z. Enkhbold, met with the Director of the Mongolian-North American Business Council to discuss foreign direct investment, future mining plans, environmental issues, and green development strategies.
Asia
Several Mongolian Parliament members met with Singaporean representatives of the international financial consulting firm, KPMG.
The Mongolian-North Korean Consultation Commission met in Pyongyang.
Neighbors (China and Russia)
L. Bold met with the Russian Ambassador to Mongolia to discuss the Russian-Mongolian strategic partnership.
Mongolia’s Minster of Defense, D. Bat-Erdene, traveled to China to conduct official negotiations on military and technical cooperation. During the negotiations, they discussed Asia-Pacific security issues more broadly, and North Korean issues specifically. The visit ended with the signing of a MoU on the future of their cooperation and strategic partnership.
On the invitation of Ts. Oyungerel, China’s Minister of Culture made an official visit to Mongolia. After meeting with a delegation from Mongolia’s Sport, Culture, and Tourism Ministry, he met with the Chinese ambassador to Mongolia. Before leaving he and Oyungerel signed a protocol on “Organizing 2014 Cultural Relations Days.”
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