2020 budget to continue its ‘online, transparent and efficient’ policy

On Monday, Prime Minister U.Khurelsulkh issued an order to reclassify Noyon Uul mountain range as a state special utilization zone and take it under state protection, and forwarded orders to Minister of Mining and Heavy Industry D.Sumiyabazar and Minister of Environment and Tourism N.Tserenbat to take all necessary measures to implement the order.

After a progress brief presented by N.Tserenbat relating to this order, Prime Minister U.Khurelsukh cited the court decision to take the mountain range under state protection, and reiterated that the decision will be submitted to Parliament for approval. Moreover, he stated the mountain should not be disturbed as it was a site of worship for the ancestors of the Mongolian people.

“History of Mongolia is here. The history of our nation began here. There are countless burial and historic sites throughout this mountain. It can support the economy through tourism, not mining. There is no known instance for Mongolian people where a great deal of wealth was obtained by mining gold in this mountain area. It is best to maintain operating currently active mines. We should not disturb the mountain, its environment, waters, rivers, wells and swamps that form a crucial ecosystem. We should leave them for generations to come. Life will not end with our generation.”

On Wednesday, Centerra Gold issued a statement regarding the order, explaining the history of their mineral resource exploitation licenses in Noyon Uul area, noting that the company had so far spent over 100 million USD in its operations.

Centerra Gold states the licenses in question are located 15 km away from Noyon Uul historic site, and 10 km from the mountain itself. The statement explained that Cabinet is intentionally spreading false information while awaiting court decisions, and if this situation continues, the company will consider demanding remuneration for potential losses caused by such acts.