Ulaanbaatar, January 20, 2025 /MONTSAME/. Honorable Ochirbat Punsalmaa, First President of Mongolia, passed away on January 17, 2025, aged 83.

The State and people of Mongolia are inflicted an irreparable loss and deeply saddened by the passing of the First President of Mongolia Ochirbat Punsalmaa, a distinguished statesman, public figure, and a beloved son of Mongolia.

Mr. Ochirbat was the Chairman of the Commission mandated to draft Mongolia's new democratic Constitution and played a pivotal role in consolidating constitutionalism and rule of law in Mongolia, expanding Mongolia's foreign relations and strengthening Mongolia’s position in international community.

Ochirbat Punsalmaa was born the son of herder Punsalmaa on January 23, 1942, at the Bunkhant area in Tudevtei soum of Zavkhan aimag, Mongolia. After completing secondary education in 1951-1960 at schools #8 and #14, young Ochirbat was enrolled in the Leningrad Institute of Mining from which he graduated in 1960-1965 with a degree in mining engineering. Mr. Ochirbat Punsalmaa earned a PhD in Technical Sciences in 1975 and a Doctor of Economics in 1999.

The first President of Mongolia Ochirbat Punsalmaa began his career as a specialist at the Ministry of Industry in 1966. He served as the Chief Engineer at the Shariin Gol Mine between 1967-1972. He served as the Deputy Minister for Fuel, Energy, and Geology in 1972-1976, Minister for Fuel, Energy, and Geology in 1976-1985, Chairman of the State Commission for Foreign Economic Relations in 1985-1987, Minister for Foreign Economic Relations in 1987-1990, Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Great Khural of the Mongolian People’s Republic between March 21, 1990, and September 1990, President of the Mongolian People’s Republic between September 3, 1990, and February 1992, and President of Mongolia from February 12, 1992. Mr. Ochirbat won the Mongolian Presidential Election of 1993, earning the trust of the Mongolian people, and served until June 1997. 

The first President of Mongolia Ochirbat Punsalmaa chaired the Board of the Mongolian University of Science and Technology (MUST) between 1999 and 2001 and served as a Leading Professor of the Professors’ Team at the Center for Ecology and Sustainable Development at the Mongolian University of Science and Technology from 2000, Member of the Constitutional Court of Mongolia between 2004 and 2016, and a Consulting Professor at the School of Geology and Mining of the MUST from 2010. 

Mr. Ochirbat Punsalmaa was an Academician and Member of the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, an Honorary Doctorate of the Mongolian University of Science and Technology, the Dankook University of the Republic of Korea, and the Saint Petersburg Mining University of the Russian Federation. He was also a Member of the International Academy of Environmental Safety, a Leading Member of the World Academy of Mining Sciences, an Honorary Lawyer at Wesleyan University in the United States, and an Honorary Professor at L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

Mr. Ochirbat Punsalmaa evaluated the current state of Mongolia's mining industry and outlined its development prospects. He had authored numerous valuable independent and collaborative works, including a seven-volume compendium titled “Development Strategy of Mineral Resources and Ecology of Mongolia,” "Development Strategy of the Precious Mineral Complex and Ecology of Mongolia," "Development Strategy for Coal Industry and Ecology," "Fundamentals of Mineral Enrichment Technology, Mining Technology, Economics, and Ecology," and a four-volume set titled "Mining Economics, Business, and Management," among many others, addressing geological and mining-related issues and proposing solutions to them. He had also written numerous books, monographs, articles, and essays on socio-political topics such as "The Constitution of Mongolia, Its Implementation, Oversight, and Research," "Development of Mongolian Democracy," and "The Time of Heaven," all accessible to the public.

During his seven years in office as President of Mongolia, Ochirbat Punsalmaa honorably fulfilled the responsible duties of the Head of State of Mongolia and made weighty contributions to creating a new legal environment for achieving the country's historic goal of transitioning to democracy and a market economy, reforming the governance, and consolidating social harmony and consensus. 

In recognition of his outstanding service to the development and prosperity of his motherland Mongolia, Mr. Ochirbat was awarded the Order of the Polar Star in 1972, the Supreme Decoration of Mongolian State, Order of Chinggis Khaan, in 2005, and the State Premium of Mongolia in 2022 for his seven-volume joint work "Mining Technology, Economics, and Ecology". Moreover, he received various titles and decorations, such as the "Distinguished Miner" Order of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, the Soviet Order of Miners Honor of I, II, and III degrees, the Honorary Medal of Energy, the Order of Labor Merit of Hungary, the Grand Order of Mugunghwa, the Supreme Order of the Republic of Korea, the “Torch of Liberty” Award of the United States. 

A man of humble, gentle, friendly, humane, diligent, and steadfast character, and one who deeply respected culture and heritage and honored harmony, the first President of Mongolia, Academician Ochirbat Punsalmaa, and his science-based, principled, and creative cause, will forever be cherished in the hearts of the Mongolian people.

We, the Mongolians, for generations, will honor and remember your contributions to the development of Mongolia.

Khurelsukh Ukhnaa,

Amarbayasgalan Dashzegve,

Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai,

Bayasgalan Gungaa,

Uchral Nyam-Osor,

Sanjsuren Bandi,

Unurbayar Gombosuren,

Gombojav Jamba