Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ M.Enkhbold, the Chairman of the State Great Khural (parliament) held Thursday talks with Geoff Regan, the Speaker of the House of Commons (lower house) of the Canadian Parliament, paying an official visit here.

M.Enkhbold expressed thanks to his Canadian counterpart for paying the official visit to Mongolia, and highlighted that Geoff Regan became the first guest of Mongolian parliament of the new convocation where the Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) possesses the overwhelming majority of seats. He also underlined that the largest ever number of women were elected as MPs during the latest parliamentary elections.

The Speaker said this visit is important for bringing the Mongolia-Canada relations and cooperation upto a new level, and mentioned that the government of Mongolia is focusing attention on preventing all causes of worsening the people’s livelihood although the current national economy is in a difficult situation.

"We are paying attention to supporting and protecting investments from neighboring countries and other nations in consideration of an importance the foreign investments have for reviving the national economy. Ensuring the security of investors doing business under laws of Mongolia is one of the responsibilities of the state, therefore the government has commenced pertinent actions,” M.Enkhbold said. He also emphasized that signing of a Mongolia-Canada intergovernmental agreement on promotion and protection of investments will conducive to realization of the governmental goals.

M.Enkhbold expressed his satisfaction with widening of the bilateral relations and cooperation in all spheres, and said Mongolia aspires to lift the ties with Canada up to the comprehensive partnership level.

In response, the Senate Speaker of Canada said he is happy to become the very first foreign guest of the newest parliament of Mongolia, and believes that his visit will enhance the bilateral relations and will contribute to bringing the ties into a new volume.

“Canada and Mongolia have much in common in terms of bordering power states, democratic governance and the national economy depending on mineral resources’ prices at the world market. I think that it is important to back the Mongolia’s democratic development, and it could fortify and diversify the bilateral relations and cooperation,” Geoff Regan said.

The Canadian Senate Speaker said he will convey to his country’s government and relevant bodies the Mongolian proposal on progressing the bilateral ties’ level. Canada will back the Mongolian policy on encouraging investments, he added.

The parties exchanged views on the Mongolia-Canada relations and cooperation in the areas of mining, education, business, science, and the inter-parliamentary ties.