First political consultative meeting to be held with Saudi Arabia

Minister of Foreign Affairs B.Battsetseg met Minister of Foreign Affairs and HH Prince of Saudi Arabia Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud to discuss bilateral cooperation and relations during her official visit to the country last week.

At the meeting, the parties signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Cooperation and Political Consultative Meeting between ministries of foreign affairs of Mongolia and Saudi Arabia and agreed to organize the first Political Consultative Meeting in near future.

Minister B.Battsetseg noted that within the framework of the foreign policy that Mongolia is developing with Gulf countries, there are wide opportunities to develop mutually beneficial cooperation with Saudi Arabia in coordination with the development policies of the two countries.

In this context, she expressed interest in attracting investments from Saudi Arabia in the mining, energy, and agriculture sectors, initiating the export of meat and meat products from Mongolia, and mutually supporting tourism and student exchange. The minister also proposed to jointly implement projects and programs within the framework of green development.

Minister and HH Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud emphasized the importance of actively developing friendly relations and cooperation between the two countries in the aforementioned fields. He expressed his delight that this official visit marks the beginning of further cooperation between the two foreign ministries.

On the sideline of her visit, Minister B.Battsetseg also met Deputy Minister of Tourism of Saudi Arabia, Her Highness Princess Haifa bint Muhammad Al-Saud.

During the meeting, Minister B.Battsetseg expressed the intention to support the development of the tourism industry between the countries, following the declaration of “Years to Visit Mongolia” by the Mongolian government for 2023 through 2025.

The parties agreed to establish joint communication and promotional efforts between enterprises in the tourism industry of both countries.

Minister B.Battsetseg proposed the establishment of direct flights to enhance tourism activities between the two countries, as well as air transport connections between Mongolia and Saudi Arabia.

Moreover, discussions were held on activating trade and economic investment activities between the two nations, specifically focusing on the supply of halal meat and meat products from Mongolia to Saudi Arabia.

Her Highness Princess Haifa bint Muhammad AlSaud expressed her commitment to improving and expanding activities related to tourism and cultural development with Mongolia.

Furthermore, members of the Saudi Arabian Motorsport Association expressed their interest in visiting Mongolia during the upcoming summer.