Ulaanbaatar, September 26, 2023 /MONTSAME/. The First Meeting of the Joint Commission on Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation between Mongolia and the Russian Federation took place yesterday at the State House in Ulaanbaatar.

The Chairman of the State Great Khural of Mongolia Zandanshatar Gombojav opened the Meeting saying, “The meetings of the Inter-Parliamentary Commission will undoubtedly be an important platform for discussing not only political, but also trade, economic, and humanitarian issues, as well as defining the proper direction for development. Mongolia aspires to establish an open political system and responsible governance, seeks environmentally friendly development solutions, diversifying its economy, expanding the regional infrastructure connectivity, including energy and road transport, focus on agriculture and further develop friendly relations and cooperation with its eternal neighbor.”

The Meeting was chaired by Deputy Chairman of the State Great Khural of Mongolia and Chairman of the Inter-Parliamentary Joint Commission Munkhbaatar and Deputy Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation and Chairman of the Inter-Parliamentary Joint Commission Alexey Vasilievich Gordeyev.

The joint meeting is an innovative dialogue mechanism aimed at further strengthening the traditional friendly relations between Mongolia and Russia. During the First Meeting the parties exchanged views and information on cooperating in the fields of economy, oil, energy, environment, road transport, education, agriculture, and tourism.

“The meeting opens a new page in the history of parliamentary cooperation between the two countries. I would like to thank you for confirming that Mongolia is not subject to the decree on fuel export restrictions by the Russian Federation. We agreed to continue the talks and negotiations on the stable supply, and fuel price. One of the results of the first meeting was the discussion on the removal of barriers to supply our wool, cashmere, leather, and meat products to Russia under tax-free and tax-reduced conditions. We accept the Russian side's proposal to hold the first part of the next meeting of the commission in Moscow,” underscored Chairman Zandanshatar during the press briefing on the Meeting.

Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, Vyacheslav Victorovich Volodin: "We have cooperated for a long time in making these decisions. The Comprehensive Strategic Partnership is the basis for making these decisions. I believe that the Interparliamentary Commission of the two countries is a mechanism to develop the cooperation and take it to a new level. Within the framework of the innovative mechanism the parliaments should continue to work in constant contact and make decisions.

The purpose of the First Meeting of the Interparliamentary Commission is to give support from the legislative bodies for the cooperation in energy, agriculture, environment, education, culture and other fields. The cooperation between our two countries has a long history. Russia was the first country to recognize Mongolia's independence in 1921. Since then, our two countries have been developing cooperation based on the principles of being mutually beneficial and respect and non-interference in each other's internal affairs. The parliaments of the two countries are making an important contribution to the further development of this relationship. Also, the legislative bodies should work together to create a legal framework to realize all the agreements reached at the level of the Heads of State of the two countries."