Russian Defense Minister Shoygu visits Mongolia
Russian Minister of Defense Sergey Shoygu paid an official visit to Mongolia on Thursday.
Shoygu held talks with Minister of Defense N.Enkhbold on October 18 to discuss defense cooperation between the two countries.
Both defense ministers signed a long-term program for developing military cooperation between the defense ministries of the two countries.
Future cooperation in the two countries’ defense, military-technical management, military education and research, military medicine and humanitarian areas were outlined in the program.
The two ministers discussed important issues of mutual cooperation in the military and military-technical spheres.
After their meeting, the Mongolian Ministry of Defense received Russian assistance for improving Mongolia's military equipment, facilities, and capacity from the Russian side.
Minister N.Enkhbold thanked Russia’s Ministry of Defense for providing Mongolia with essential military equipment for the country’s defense sector.
The minister emphasized that Russian assistance will be of great importance to improving its defenses against aerial attacks. He added that Mongolian military officers are being trained to operate the new military equipment.
On the same day, Prime Minister U.Khurelsukh received Minister Shoygu to discuss some aspects of the relations and cooperation between the countries, and bilateral defense cooperation.
At the beginning of their meeting, U.Khurelsukh highlighted that when Shoygu was minister of emergency situations, he arrived in Mongolia in 2001 to deliver the Russian government’s aid for providing Mongolian herders facing winter challenges support services to the government of Mongolia.
...The minister emphasized that Russian assistance will be of great importance to improving its defenses against aerial attacks...
U.Khurelsukh highlighted that the government of Mongolia is focusing on advancing strategic partnership being developed by the two countries, and noted that Mongolia and Russia will continue military and military-technical cooperation under a program for the development of the strategic partnership.
He thanked the government of Russia for expanding bilateral military cooperation and granting scholarships to Mongolians in order to increase Mongolian military workforce capacity.
The prime minister asked the Russian defense minister to make the 2004 military-technical assistance intergovernmental agreement a long-term agreement, and study opportunities for supplying military equipments and weapons to Mongolia under Russian nonrefundable aid.
U.Khurelsukh stated that he hopes Russia’s high-ranking government officials will pay a state visits to Mongolia next year on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Battle of Khalkhyn Gol.
Shoygu said that he is glad to visit Mongolia again, and conveyed Russian President Vladimir Putin’s greetings to Prime Minister U.Khurelsukh.
He noted that Russia is ready to expand its collaboration with Mongolia to strengthen defense cooperation, host joint military exercises, and increase Mongolian military workforce capacity.
The Russian defense minister pointed out that on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Battle of Khalkhyn Gol, Russia wants to organize joint activities with Mongolia for remembering and honoring the two countries’ military veterans who served and sacrificed their lives in the battle.
The prime minister also discussed with Shoygu ways to increase trade turnover between the two countries, and building a railway and gas pipeline.
As a part of his visit, the Russian defense minister also held a meeting with Speaker of Parliament to exchange views on some issues related to the relations and cooperation between the two countries.