-Reporting from Kazakhstan-
The state visit of President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh of Mongolia to the Republic of Kazakhstan is ongoing.
The heads of state of the two countries held a one-on-one meeting, after which the parties signed 18 documents between governments and institutions.
They then briefed representatives of the media. During the briefing, our country’s President made the following statement about cooperation and the work agreed for implementation in the future.
Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh: I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to Your Excellency the President, the government of Kazakhstan, and its friendly people for warmly welcoming us to your beautiful homeland, nestled in the heart of Eurasia.
It is a pleasure to recall the historic decision made during your historic visit to Mongolia in 2024, when we elevated our friendly relations to a new high level and agreed to develop them broadly into a strategic partnership.
The fact that the heads of state of the two countries have reciprocally carried out state visits within a span of less than two years clearly reflects our shared determination to further expand and develop Mongolia-Kazakhstan relations and cooperation.
Today, we should review and discuss the achievements of the more than 30-year history of relations between our two countries, the implementation of the issues agreed upon by the heads of state, and provide detailed proposals for intensifying Mongolia-Kazakhstan cooperation in the years ahead. During your visit to our country, 12 documents were signed that strengthened the foundation for cooperation in trade and economic relations, agriculture, veterinary services, light industry, transport and logistics, and information technology.
In particular, I am pleased to note that the two sides have mutually agreed to expand cooperation in science, health, banking and finance, trade, the economy, mineral resources, humanitarian affairs, the media, and local-level relations. The two heads of state also agreed to broaden mutually beneficial trade and economic cooperation in all respects.
Within the goal of raising bilateral trade turnover to 500 million US dollars, the two sides agreed to increase the supply of wool, cashmere, leather, hides, and meat products from Mongolia, and fruits, vegetables, wheat, and other products from Kazakhstan to Mongolia.
We agreed that the Interim Free Trade Agreement between Mongolia and the Eurasian Economic Union plays an important role in increasing trade and investment, and that a roadmap should be developed to ensure its implementation.
In this context, more than 200 representatives of businesses are taking part in the Mongolia-Kazakhstan Business Forum being held in Astana, which is a clear sign of the strong desire of entrepreneurs and wealth creators from our two countries to work together.
I am confident that this event will make a meaningful contribution to strengthening business cooperation around the world, increasing investment, and creating a favorable business environment. I would also like to note that, in order to eliminate obstacles in the transport sector and explore the possibility of establishing a transport and logistics hub route, the two sides agreed to form a joint working group and cooperate.
Air transport between Mongolia and Kazakhstan is being intensified, opening a new gateway connecting the two countries. Mongolia’s Hunnu Air is already operating regular flights on the Ulaanbaatar-Almaty route, and from next June a Kazakh airline will launch direct flights between Ulaanbaatar and Astana.
Mongolia also supports the opening of a Consulate of Kazakhstan in Mongolia. Opportunities for domestic flights have also emerged. This is expected to make an important contribution to increasing the flow of travelers between the two countries, boosting exports and imports of goods, developing tourism, and creating a better business environment.
Cultural ties have long served as an important bridge connecting the peoples of our two countries. Looking ahead, we agreed to expand and develop multifaceted cooperation in this area, including implementing joint cultural programs, identifying sources, records, and memorials related to the unique historical and cultural heritage of the Mongolian and Kazakh peoples, and conducting joint research on intangible cultural heritage.
Cooperation has begun with the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Mongolia’s Chinggis Khaan National Museum and the Institute of History and Ethnography under the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Mongolia is one of the few countries that has preserved the original form of nomadic civilization to this day. We believe it is important to continue and further expand the good tradition of mutual participation by representatives of the two countries in the Nomadic World virtual event held in Mongolia and the Nomad Culture Festival held in Kazakhstan.
During the visit, under the patronage of the heads of state of the two countries, a performance of Mongolian fine arts was organized for the first time in Astana, delighting our Kazakh friends with the music of the steppe in the land of eternal blue sky, and we are pleased to be creating moving and memorable experiences together.
We also agreed to strengthen cooperation between institutions responsible for science and strategic research in order to promote Mongolian Kazakh studies and to train teachers and researchers specializing in the languages, cultures, and regional studies of the two countries, and signed the relevant legal documents.
As part of efforts to develop local-level cooperation between the two countries, sister-city relations were established between Kharkhorin and Nalaikh of Mongolia and cities in Kazakhstan.
In addition, it was agreed to study and work on implementing joint programs in information technology, mining, health, physical education, and sports.
Our two countries have actively supported each other and cooperated within the framework of the United Nations and other international organizations, and we expressed our commitment to further deepening and developing cooperation at both the regional and international organization levels.
We highly appreciate the regional high-level meeting on future environmental issues being held in Astana at the initiative of Your Excellency the President.
Considering that strengthening regional and international cooperation on the protection and sustainable use of water resources is of vital importance, Mongolia fully supports the initiative you proposed to establish an international water organization.
We invite Kazakhstan to participate at a high level in the 17th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, which will be held in Mongolia this August. Mongolia’s One Billion Trees national movement and the Kazakh President’s Two Billion Trees project will be linked, and the two countries will cooperate in combating climate change and protecting the environment.
We also exchanged views on the possibility of jointly organizing a high-level meeting within the C5+ format of Central Asian countries, with Mongolia’s participation. We sincerely thank Kazakhstan, as a member state of the International Think Tank for Landlocked Developing Countries based in Ulaanbaatar, for its steadfast support and cooperation with the institution’s activities.
Mongolia will cooperate in establishing a trade representative office based at Mongolia’s Embassy in Kazakhstan in order to further expand trade, relations, and cooperation between the two countries.
At the initiative of the President of Mongolia, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution declaring July 11 of each year as World Horse Day. We sincerely thank the Republic of Kazakhstan for co-sponsoring and joining this resolution. The peoples of Mongolia and Kazakhstan are both horse-loving peoples. Horses are a valuable cultural and heritage asset that connects us. We all know this, and it is one more reason we wish to emphasize that our peoples are similar.
Mongolia highly appreciates the contribution and efforts of Your Excellency, my close friend, in advancing and developing Mongolia-Kazakhstan relations and cooperation.
I am confident that the talks we have held and the matters we have agreed upon will be realized for the prosperity and well-being of both countries, and that relations and cooperation between our two nations will continue to expand and flourish.
May the fraternal friendship between our two peoples grow ever stronger from generation to generation, and may the Strategic Partnership between Mongolia and Kazakhstan continue to flourish and develop in full.
