Bundestag Vice-President pays official visit to Mongolia

Speaker of the Parliament Z.Enkhbold received on Friday a German delegation headed by Vice-President of the Bundestag Eduard Oswald. They are paying an official visit to Mongolia until May 30.

Z.Enkhbold stressed during their meeting that the visit led by Vice-President Oswald proves that the mutual cooperation between the two countries’ legislative bodies is at a high level. While introducing Chairwoman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Petitions R.Burmaa, Speaker Z.Enkhbold also mentioned that Mongolia took the Bundestag’s structure as a political model, establishing this standing committee in its parliamentary structure. He then conveyed that Chairwoman R.Burmaa also chairs the Mongolia-Germany Intergovernmental Group.

Moreover, Speaker Z.Enkhbold noted that the second meeting of the Mongolia-Germany Intergovernmental Working Group in Mongolia discussed how the cooperation on minerals, industry, and technology was successfully conducted in early May; emphasizing the significance of having a vested project to produce liquid fuel from brown coal. He proposed that if Mongolia implements this project, its fuel and petrol requirements can become completely independent from foreign countries.

Recently, both sides signed an agreement to free diplomatic passport holders of the two countries from visa requirements, which has laid the foundation for citizens to visit without visas. Successful negotiations are also being made to build the “Mongolia-Germany Joint Mining Technology Institute” in Nalaikh District, Ulaanbaatar. “The Federal Chancellor of Germany supports the project,” noted Speaker Z.Enkhbold.

During the reception, Vice-President Oswald said that 2013 is a distinct year in the relationship between Mongolia and Germany, as Mongolia is carrying out the Presidential Election the same year that Germany is going to have its Bundestag election. The two sides emphasized the mutual importance of elections in their democracies.

Speaker Z.Enkhbold expressed Mongolia’s interest to study the Bundestag’s conduction of elections using a mixed system. “Germany has great experience in conducting democratic elections,” opined Vice-President Oswald. “We are glad that Mongolia studied our experience and could introduce it in the elections to be conducted here.” The Vice-President of the Bundestag also emphasized the importance of the participation of voters and of all voting procedures to be open to the public in the election process to strengthen democracy.

Finally, Vice-President Oswald underlined the importance of vocational professions and the corresponding demand for highly educated and trained staff. He then expressed interest in exchanging the experience of training vocational specialists in both countries.

Mongolia and Germany first established diplomatic relations in 1974, and its 40th anniversary will be celebrated in 2014.

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