Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. On September 3, following the signing ceremony of official bilateral documents at the State House, President of Mongolia Kh.Battulga and President of Russia Vladimir Putin delivered a joint press statement. 

Head of state of Mongolia Kh.Battulga began his speech by noting the growth of the bilateral ties between Mongolia and Russia based on traditional friendly relations and mutual trust. “The people of Mongolia are grateful that President of Russia Vladimir Putin is celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Mongolia-Soviet joint victory of the Battles of Khalkhiin Gol together with us. This joint victory was a significant event that reaffirmed the independence and sovereignty of Mongolia and strengthened the friendly ties between the peoples of the two nations. Therefore, we must immortalize the heroic deeds of Mongolian and Soviet Soldiers, who fought shoulder to shoulder in those battles, for future generations”. During the press conference, President Kh.Battulga accepted the Russian President’s invitation to attend 75th anniversary celebration of the Great Patriotic War to be held next year.

On the newly-signed Treaty of Friendly Relations and Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two states, the Mongolian President said that the treaty holds great political and historical benefits in the bilateral cooperation, opening up significant prospects for its further expansion in various directions. He also noted about the ten documents signed during the visit concerning various sectors' collaboration, including traditional military and defense cooperation.   

As the two sides discussed about the possibilities of increasing profits of the Mongolian-Russian Ulaanbaatar Railways joint company, the President expressed willingness to spend the RUB 100 billion loan requested from the Russian Government on increasing the equity fund of the Russian Railways, energy industry and building new railroad from Zuunbayan to Khangi. 

Expressing his gratitude to Russia for giving opportunities to use seaports in the Russian Far eastern regions, opening access to the sea for landlocked Mongolia, the President Kh.Battulga stressed that preliminary technical and economic feasibility studies have been completed for a new terminal to be built at the Zarubino port in cooperation with Russian FESCO Company within the framework of the transit transportation agreement between the governments of Mongolia and Russia in June 2018. He then noted his hope that Russia will support Mongolia’s willingness to establish free trade agreement within the Eurasian Economic Union. 

“To broaden the economic cooperation, it is necessary to take measures to redefine investment priorities from Russia and increase exports from Mongolia. I am glad that Russia is reopening its trade representative in Mongolia and Mongolia is planning to open its trade representative office in Vladivostok city of Russia” said the Mongolian President. “Mongolia is willing to co-implement large development projects for future cooperation of Mongolia and Russia and I have put forward a proposal to set up a joint working group to study this issue” he added.  At the end of his remarks, President Kh.Battulga stated that an issue of excise duty regarding the Ulaanbaatar Railways and another issue related to Russian immovable properties in Mongolia that has been lying long unsettled, have been straightened out. 

For his part, President of Russia Vladimir Putin said he was convinced that the long-standing traditions of friendship and solidarity are a firm foundation for the development of Russian-Mongolian relations and agreed that the negotiations were informative and constructive. "We regard that the relations between Mongolia and Russia elevated to a new level of Comprehensive Strategic Partnership will enable opportunities to enhance cooperation in each and every field” he said. President Vladimir Putin further mentioned the 21 percent increase of trade turnover of Mongolia and Russia and gave a detailed information on issues concerning new joint projects of energy, mining and agriculture.