Mongolia, US and Japan TRILATERAL MEETING HELD
The third trilateral meeting between Mongolia, the USA and Japan took place in Ulaanbaatar on August 30 to discuss Mongolia’s trade, economic, investment and defense cooperation with the USA and Japan, and Northeast Asian security issues and regional integration.
State Secretary of the Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs D. Davaasuren, Director-General of Asia and Oceania Affairs Bureau of Japan’s Foreign Affairs Ministry Kanasugi Kenji and Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for China, Mongolia and Taiwan Coordination of the US Department of State took part in the meeting.
During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on strengthening economic, investment and defense cooperation between Mongolia, Japan and the US.
D. Davaasuren introduced the US and Japan- ese delegates to Mongolia’s efforts to improve the nation’s economic and investment environment, its foreign policy, its economic potential, its position on Northeast Asian Security and Asia and Pacific region, and the country’s policies under Ulaanbaatar Dialogue Initiative on Northeast Asian Security. He also gave an update on the changes made to international cooperation mechanisms since the last trilateral meeting between the three countries in 2015. The sides noted that the countries need to further develop their cooperation in regional security and peacekeeping activities.
The State Secretary of the Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that the result of the trilateral meeting will be significant for Mongolia to strengthen its economic cooperation with the two countries; align its position with the two countries’ stances in common interest issues in the areas of defense, economic and political relations; and strengthen the country’s cooperation with the two nations by working together in the areas of regional and global cooperation.
D. Davaasuren emphasized that the US-Mongolia transparency agreement will help Mongolia launch a free trade agreement between the two countries, but Mongolia needs to carry out a tariff facility to establish the free trade agreement with the USA.
He noted that since Mongolia and Japan signed the agreement on the mid-term program for the development of the economic partnership, trade turnover between the two countries has increased by 38.9 percent in the first half of this year.
D. Davaasuren stated that since Mongolia applied for membership in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and became a Dialogue Partner Country of the Association on Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), support from the USA and Japan are of great importance for the country to reach its goals.