Mongolia Brief March 13, 2014

Speaker about Visa-Free Travel between Mongolia and S.Korea

Ulaanbaatar, March 13(MONTSAME)The Parliament Speaker of Mongolia Z.Enkhbold Wednesday met with his counterpart of South Korea Mr Kang Chang-hee in Seoul.

Mr Enkhbold said Mongolia-S.Korea relations have been developing in a comprehensive partnership level, and noted the importance of high-level mutual visits. After mentioning the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our countries in 2015, the Mongolian Speaker expressed a satisfaction with an emphasis attached to the mutually beneficial cooperation by the S.Korean part who has been investing major mining and infrastructure projects, programs, and been supporting technology, human resources and management development in Mongolia.

He also highlighted Mongolia’s willingness to join regional multilateral dialogues and integrations, such as Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and East Asia Summit.

Noting the fact that the Mongolians in S.Korea form the world's largest population of the Mongolian citizens abroad, Mr Enkhbold said a great importance id given to the protection of rights of our workers in S.Korea. The Governments of the two countries have been taking relevant measures to facilitate traveling conditions of citizens between Mongolia and S.Korea, he noted. However, in view of growing relations, cooperation and mutual reciprocal visits of citizens, the Governments should consider visa-free travels between the two countries, Mr Enkhbold said.

In response, Mr Chang-hee noted the high importance he attaches to this meeting, and said the cooperation between the two countries has reached the level of comprehensive partnership, and our countries have been working together in international arenas.

Citing contrasts between the countries as Mongolia has a small population and vast mineral resources and S.Korea, in contrary, has a bigger population and less mineral resources, he noted a hope for greater cooperation between the two countries using their advantages.

He also said the S.Korean part will take needed measures regarding the vise-free travel issues.

At this meeting present were also MrB.Ganbold, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia to S.Korea; MsBurmaa MP, Chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Petitions; MrSanjmyatav MP, a Labor Minister; Mr Erdene MP, a Population Development and Social Protection Minister, and others.

Mongolia and Republic of Korea Reach Comprehensive Partnership, Says Speaker of NationalAssembly Kang Chang-Hee

March 13 (infomongolia.com) Mongolian delegates led by the Speaker of the State Great Khural (Parliament)Zandaakhuu ENKHBOLD have been conducting an official visit to the Republic ofKorea from March 12 and on the first day of the visit Speaker Z.Enkhbold hadbilateral talks with the Speaker of the National Assembly of South Korea KangChang-hee.

During his meeting, Speaker Z.Enkhbold noted, ”The bilateral ties between Mongoliaand the Republic of Korea have been growing at all potential spheres at the level of‘comprehensive partnership’, where high-level mutual visits and inter-governmentaltalks play an important role to develop the relations. The year of 2015 marks 25^thanniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Korea is considered closest geographical partner country and we satisfy with emphasis on mutual beneficial collaboration inlarge projects and programs being carried out such as investing in mining & infrastructure and introducing technology,developing human resources & management issues in Mongolia”.

Also, Speaker Z.Enkhbold underlined that Mongolia is willing to join regional multilateral dialogue and integration accession, tobecome APEC member state and participate East Asia Summit, which is major objectives of Mongolia’s policy directed to joinregional integration.

Compare to other states, the Republic of Korea is the country, where most Mongolians are working under contracts and beingemployed, where the issue of protecting the rights of our nationals is one of our priorities, added Speaker. Governments of thetwo countries have been taking significant steps to facilitate mutual travel conditions and in the scope of growing reciprocalvisits and partnership, our two countries should take sequential measures on visa free travel between the two citizens, extendsSpeaker Z.Enkhbold.

In turn, Speaker of the National Assembly of South Korea Kang Chang-hee said, “The collaboration between the two countrieshas been reached comprehensive partnership. The two countries are cooperating on international area closely. However theRepublic of Korea is considered as lack of mineral resources with big population, but Mongolia is contrary. We believe todeepen the further cooperation and study the characteristics and opportunities of bilateral partnership between the twocountries. As of visa liberalization issue extended, we will pay particular attention and will collaborate with Mongolian Embassyin Korea to take sequential measures”.

Prime Minister delivers speech at FAO Regional Conference

March 13 (news.mn) The Prime Minister of Mongolia delivered a speech at the 32nd session of the FAO Regional Conference.

The Prime Minister of Mongolia, N.Altankhuyag, delivered a speech on the third day of the 32nd session of the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and the Pacific that convened in Ulaanbaatar on March 10th. 

FAO Director-General JosйGraziano da Silva will meet with the President of Mongolia Ts.Elbegdorj at 2:00 pm today, March 13th. 

At the 32nd session of the FAO Regional Conference for Asia and Pacific, representatives from 40 countries in the Pacific region, in particular ministers responsible for agriculture, forestry and fishing industries are present to exchange views and share opinions. 

The 32nd session of the FAO Regional Conference will release the resultant reports and speeches on Friday from discussions at the conference. 

Foreign Minister of Mongolia to Conduct Official Visit toAustralia on March 18-20, 2014

March 13 (infomongolia.com) Minister for Foreign Affairs of Mongolia Luvsanvandan BOLD will pay an official visitto the Commonwealth of Australia on March 18-20, 2014. This official visit at ForeignMinister-level is to be conducted after 21 years since 1993.

The visit aims at consolidating political ties with Australia, an important partner in theAsia-Pacific Region, at the extended partnership level and stimulating bilateralcollaboration in the mining, education and agricultural areas.

During his visit, Minister L.Bold will held official talks with his Australian counterpartJulie Bishop and pay a courtesy call on Speaker of the House of RepresentativesBronwyn Bishop to discuss issues on the extension of bilateral cooperation betweenParliaments of the two countries.

Mongolia and the Commonwealth of Australia have established the diplomatic relations on September 15, 1972.

Mongolia Expresses Its Position on Security Issues inNortheast Asia

March 13 (infomongolia.com) Director of the Department of Asia and the Pacific of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ofMongolia Ch.Bayarmunkh, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary ofMongolia to the Kingdom of Thailand Ch.Battumur and other officials are attendingthe Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA),Special Working Group and Senior Officials Committee meetings in Chiang Rai city,Thailand being held on March 11-13, 2014.

The main purpose of the meetings is preparation works for the Fourth CICA Summitto take place in Shanghai, China in 2014.

During the meeting, Mongolian delegation expressed Mongolia’s position on thesecurity issues in Northeast Asia and forwarded a proposal on formulating andreflecting its position in SCO’s summit declaration. The majority of participants supported the proposal and agreed to elaborateproposals of member states on the security issues in Northeast Asia as a special provision to reflect in the declaration.

The Republic of Turkey is one of the most active members of the CICA. Turkey took over the CICA Chairmanship fromKazakhstan at the Third CICA Summit held in Istanbul in June 2010 for a period of two years. Turkey’s Chairmanship wasextended by the member states for another two years in 2012-2014. The CICA Chairmanship will be assumed by the People’sRepublic of China for 2014-2016.

Mongolia became a member-state of CICA during the Third Meeting of CICA Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in Almaty,Kazakhstan in August 2008, before Mongolia had an observer status since its First Meeting of CICA Ministers of Foreign Affairsheld in Almaty in 1999.

Economic Discussion to Run

Ulaanbaatar, March 13 (MONTSAME)A discussion themed “Ways to overcome economic difficulties” is to run under the auspices of M.Enkhbold, the Deputy Speaker of parliament on March 14.

It will take place at the State House bring together foreign investors, projects implementers and leading economists.

As expected, a conclusion and some recommendations on present macro-economic conditions will be delivered by resident representatives of foreign banks to our country and by members of parliament.

The participants are supposed to submit proposals to the government and to run discussion on how to overcome the economic problems.

Global Money Week to Be Celebrated in Mongolia

March 13 (infomongolia.com) The celebration of Global Money Week takes place in Mongolia under "Every Child isFinancier" slogan by "Child & Youth Finance International" Movement, MongolianBankers Association (and member banks), Bank of Mongolia and Mongolian Stock Exchange on March 10-17, 2014.

The event is aimed to promote and raise awareness about the importance of childrenand youth's financial education and economic education among the public, besidesto empower and give children a better understanding about the banking and financesector.

In the frameworks, a series of activities have been organized such as Facebookpicture contest, Bank visits to high schools, Student visits to Banks, and Student visits to the Mongolian Stock Exchange.

On March 10, the opening of celebration of Mongolia Money Week started with a tour to the Mongolian Stock Exchange (MSE),where students from Sant High School rang the bell to open the market for trading at MSE. The students were given a tour of theMSE and learn about the economic environment, how the stock exchange operates and the role in Mongolian economy.

“One-to-One” Business Meeting between Mongolia and South Korea to Take Place in Ulaanbaatar

March 13 (infomongolia.com) Mongolian National Chamber of Commerce and Industry in collaboration with"KOTRA Ulaanbaatar" Business Center are organizing a "One-to-One" meetingbetween business representatives from Mongolia and South Korea at the ChinggisKhaan Hotel in Ulaanbaatar on April 11, 2014.

At the meeting Korean delegates are to introduce their businesses in the following categories.

1. Blood diagnostic device (glucose tester in blood)

2. Three types of seasoning soy sauce (Korean spicy soy sauce)

3. Skin Care Products (Cosmetics)

4. Frozen dumplings (Korean flavor)

5. LED lighting and module

6. Elevator (Handok Elevator)

7. Citron tea with honey

8. Raspberry Jelly (sweets)

9. Sweet tree extract (syrup)

10. Sand and stone classifiers, gold washers (mining portable mechanism)

The Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) has opened its “KOTRA Ulaanbaatar” Business Center at theBluemon Center in Ulaanbaatar on July 26, 2013 that aims to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries.

Currently, the “KOTRA Ulaanbaatar” has been organizing to assist Mongolian enterprises to participate in the Sweet 2014,Specialized Fair on New & Renewable Energy, which is ongoing in Gwangju, South Korea on March 12-14, 2014.

Ambassador of Sudan Presents Credentials

Ulaanbaatar, March 13(MONTSAME)The Non-Resident Concurrent Ambassador of Sudan to Mongolia Mr Omer Eiza Ahmed presented Thursday his diplomatic credentials to the President of Mongolia Ts.Elbegdorj, in the State House.

At the meeting after the presentation, the President and the Ambassador said they are confident that the bilateral relations will deepen.

By the end of 2013, the Mongolian troops of the 4th contingent are serving in the African Union–United Nations Hybrid Operation in Darfur (UNAMID), they noted.

Mongolia and Sudan established the diplomatic relations on July 7 of 1970.

Ambassador of Finland Presents Diplomatic Credentials

Ulaanbaatar, March 13(MONTSAME)The President of Mongolia Ts.Elbegdorj Thursday received the diplomatic credentials from MrJariGustafsson, the Concurrent Non-Resident Ambassador of Finland to Mongolia.

MrGustafsson said he will do all his best to widen the Mongolia-Finland traditional friendly relations within his office term.

The President said the two countries marked last year the 50th anniversary of the diplomatic relations, and noted that a “100 innovations in Finland’s society” book was released in frames of this anniversary.  The countries are running cooperation in the court reforms in Mongolia, "moreover, the collaboration will be widened in education, culture and scientific spheres," he said.

Mongolia and Finland established the diplomatic relations on July 15 of 1963.

Ambassador of Ireland Presents Credentials

Ulaanbaatar, March 13(MONTSAME)The Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Ireland to Mongolia Mr John Paul Kavanagh Thursday presented the diplomatic credentials to Ts.Elbegdorj, the President of Mongolia.

At the meeting after ceremony, the Ambassador said he will be serving as a bridge between the two countries so that the ties between develop more, and promised to put all his effort to do it.
The dignitaries also touched upon the cooperation in education, sciences and technological communication spheres.

Mongolia and Ireland established diplomatic relations on December 22 of 1998. 

Angolan Ambassador Presents Credentials

Ulaanbaatar, March 13(MONTSAME)The President of Mongolia Ts.Elbegdorj Thursday received MrJoro Garcia Bires, the Ambassador Concurrent and Non-resident of Angola to Mongolia.

The Ambassador presented MrElbegdorj diplomatic credentials.

The leader of Mongolia expressed a confidence for the contribution of the Ambassador to strengthening of traditional, friendly relations of four decades between our countries.

As Angola has a rich subsoil heritage, from diamonds, oil, gold, copper, cotton and sugar, the two countries have great chances to further cooperate in agriculture and industry.

Mongolia Attends Global Forum on Competition

Ulaanbaatar, March 13(MONTSAME)A section head of the Mongolian Agency for Fair Competition and Protection for Consumers L.Gan-Olzii has participated in the 2014 OECD Global Forum on Competition.

It took place in Paris, France, gathering over 100 delegates. They discussed ways of fighting corruption and of promoting competition, also the competition issues in distribution of pharmaceuticals, and a review of Romania's competition law and policy.

As the result of the forum, a general recommendation has been issued about abolishing impacts of the corrupted economy on fair competition and dealing with enterprises that offer bribes in order to fulfill their works.

 

New System to Be Introduced in Immigration Management

Ulaanbaatar, March 13(MONTSAME)The Immigration Agency of Mongolia, along with the Korean International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) has launched a project on immigration management on Wednesday.

The project aimed at introduction of a cyber-system to regulate citizenship and migration matters will be carried out under an irreversible funding of KOICA until early 2016.

This project will enable accurate monitoring of migration, better protection of the rights of Mongolians residing abroad, and rendering legal assistance to them.

Aimed at enhanced proper inspection over foreign nationals, international organizations and foreign-invested entities that have entered to or have operations in Mongolia, a new united database will be created within the project. The database will also be used in border checkpoints, said project managers during the inception of the project.

"Safety First" Conference Starts

Ulaanbaatar, March 13(MONTSAME) Annual conference and exhibition of mining sector themed "Safety First" started Thursday in Erdenet, second biggest city of Mongolia.

The two-day action, being organized by the Mongolian National Mining Association, is running in two parts themed "Government policy and sides' participation" and "Management system and Best experiences" in occupational safety and health sector /OSH/.

Lectures and discussions are being given on amendments to the law on the OSH, its present situation and urgent issues.

The attendees are head staffers of the Labor Ministry, Specialized Inspection Organization, Mongolian Employers Federation, Standardization and Measurement organization.

Foreigners Entering Mongolia under 30-Day Tourist orBusiness Visa to Be Monitored

March 13 (infomongolia.com) Mongolian Immigration Agency (MIA) and Korea International Cooperation Agency(KOICA) are implementing the Project for the Development of E-Immigration Systemin Mongolia since January 2013.

So, the opening ceremony of the “E-Immigration” Project was held in Ulaanbaatar onMarch 12, 2014, however the project reconnaissance work had been started since2012 and implementation period was scheduled to be complemented by 2015, butunder some delay issues, the project will be accomplished by 2016 under KOICAnon-refundable aid of 5 million USD.

In the frameworks of the project, the Immigration Agency will now to have a generaland comprehensive information database to monitor and control the movement of Mongolian nationals to overseas and protectrights of Mongolian citizens residing abroad and provide with legal assistance. Although, the new database will give detailedinformation to monitor foreign nationals entering Mongolian territory, register foreign citizens, immigrants and statelesspersonsas well; moreover the process of registration of foreigners, international organizations and foreign-invested enterprisesoperating in our country would be advanced at national level.

During the opening ceremony, Director-General of Immigration Agency Bukhchuluun PUREVDORJ said, “Today Mongolia’stwo organs are operating on border, whereas the MIA runs ‘Nikos’ software to register foreigners in Mongolia and the GeneralAuthority for Border Protection undertakes ‘Vortex’ program to register foreigners entering Mongolia. Following the new law onBorder Checkpoints, which is effective from April 01, 2014, the two organs will be combined and the two software will beinterlinked. Before, it was not able to monitor visitors who are residing in Mongolia under 30-day tourist or business visa andsome travelers usually disappeared breaching the term. By implementing software integration, foreign citizens living illegallyand the issue of devaluating Mongolian law will be eliminated at all. Also, visa extension and residence permits will be issuedon-line, which means foreigners are not necessary to go the Office in person and able to receive responds via e-mail. Moreover,the border cross process will be accelerated”.

According to new regulations, Mongolian Immigration Office becomes the General Authority for Citizenship and Migration of Mongolia from April 01, 2014.

Journalists receive investigative journalism training

March 13 (news.mn) The Society of Investigative Journalists Mongolia are conducting a two-day training on “Encouraging qualification in journalism – Guidance and methods to investigative reports” with the support of the Mongolian chapter of Transparency International, the British Embassy in Mongolia and the Thomson Foundation from today. 

The two-day training is to raise the standard of investigative reporting to a high professional level. The advisor on free press, Mr. Oliver, Director of Development at the Thomson Foundation, Bettina Peters and President and CEO at Globe International Kh.Naranjargal, will deliver lectures and presentation.

Topics will include how to improve technical skills to collect information and develop team work as well as how to conduct dialogue and discussion based on a combination of practices and experiments and sharing experiences. 

The two-day training of journalists will be held at the Corporate Hotel on March 13th and 14th.

Free diagnosis and treatment on World Kidney Day

March 13 (news.mn) World Kidney Day is celebrated annually on the second Thursday in March globally. World Kidney Day was first organized by the International Society of Nephrology and the International Federation of Kidney Foundations in 2006 has been in Mongolia since 2009. World Kidney Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of kidneys to overall health and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide.

On World Kidney Day in Mongolia the State First Clinical Hospital offers patients free diagnosis and treatment throughout the day, today on March 13th. 

 

Anti-Alcoholism to Be Discussed

Ulaanbaatar, March 13(MONTSAME)A discussion will run March 17 in the city's Songinokhairkhan district to consider a draft new wording of the law on combating alcoholism.

This event will be chaired by L.Erdenechimeg MP and participated by owners of shopping centers of this district. This will be a part of her works, being run during a break of the parliamentary session, aimed at propagandizing newly adopted laws, bills and resolutions, at a discuss level.

 

Where did all the water go?

March 13 (Mongolian Economy) Mongolian Economy explores Ulaanbaatar’s water threat as part of this issue’s ‘water theme’ 

Much attention is given to mining and the industry’s effect on groundwater supply, but the battle for Mongolia’s urban water supply is also of great concern. 

In Ulaanbaatar, water is used inefficiently by its citizens, organisations and factories connected to the centralised water supply and sewerage network. The land of the eternal blue sky gets a measly 230 millimetres of annual rainfall. In 70 percent of the country surface water is very limited; meanwhile 22 percent of total water resources originate from the Gobi and 78 percent from the mountains. Grey water is largely unheard of so the same water used for drinking is used to flush toilets.  (See Figure 1)

There is an obvious water supply problem in Mongolia. Raising the price of water may change the way residents think about water use. The price of water has not changed since the 1990s, when Mongolia transitioned from a planned to a market economy. There is also a huge disparity in the price people pay for water, depending on the type of home. Apartment dwellers pay MNT 0.32 per litre, while ger district residents pay triple that amount for MNT 1 per litre. Companies pay MNT 0.55 per litre. 

Water agencies in Mongolia are meanwhile on the brink of bankruptcy. The Water Supply and Sewerage Authority (USUG) operates at a loss of MNT 10 million a day. For example, USUG spends MNT 7,900 on a single truck able to transport fives tonnes of water for delivery to ger districts. With a price tag of MNT 1 per litre, that five tonnes of water stands to earn just MNT 5,000 for a loss of MNT 2,900. 

Half a year ago USUG and other water agencies handed in a proposal to the Water Services Regulatory Commission of Mongolia (WSRC) that argued for the need to increase water prices to recover the losses they were experiencing. In WSRC’s revision of the proposal it suggests that the price of water paid by ger district consumers should not be changed because those residents already have access to alternative water truck services and the incomes of households in those areas were already low. The commission also noted that ger households had much more controlled daily consumption than their counterparts in Ulaanbaatar’s apartments.

According to a study by USUG, water consumption per ger district household ranges from eight to 10 litres a day while apartment dwellers consume 250 litres of water a day. Raising the price of water may affect the way those living in apartments treat their water.  In addition to price increases, an integrated water management policy is also needed.

WSRC suggested that apartment residents pay an additional MNT 0.18 per litre to MNT .5 per litre. However, the proposal has not received a decision by the Authority for Fair Competition and Consumers Protection (AFCCP), and its position on the proposal is unclear.

The Law on Water puts the responsibility of price setting with WSRC, which was established in 2012. But AFCCP must grant permission to WSRC to do change prices, according to WSRC Director Ch. Erdenenchimeg,

“Since October 2012, WSRC has been carrying out research and submitting the outcomes to AFCCP on the necessity of increasing the price of water aimed at addressing the financial difficulties of water service providers,” she said.

AFCCP held on to the proposal for a year and was supposed to make a decision this past January, but the agency put off the decision to a new, undetermined date. Its concern is largely what public reaction to the price hike might be. Also, AFFCP said the organisations are biased in their conclusions in the proposal and instead they should focus on raising public awareness for better water management.

There is also the suggestion by some that USUG’s water price hike proposal for apartment residents to MNT 0.5 per litre is too low.

Instead, the price should have been increased to MNT 1 per litre – the current price paid by ger district residents.

Water pricing is a very important issue related to Ulaanbaatar’s water security. There are 366 kilometres of fresh water pipelines in Ulaanbaatar, which were built in the early 1960s. There has been no maintenance and renovation to these pipelines since then. This is the freshest groundwater in Mongolia, according to USUG.

Urban growth and development of the mining industry will put tremendous pressure on the groundwater supply at the Tuul River. Water professionals say a complete study on Ulaanbaatar’s water resources has never been done. However, some smaller studies are under way by both foreign and Mongolian research organisations. For example, a number of ger district households and factories in Ulaanbaatar own private wells, and no study has ever looked at their impact.

Water experts at USUG say that water resources could be exhausted by 2016 if no change is made in today’s unregulated water consumption and use by Ulaanbaatar. Monitoring is  needed, and more value should be placed on resources.

Grey water technology would be on way to help retain water supplies.

Mongolia already has its state policy for water resources. It also set a strategic goal aimed at protecting water resources and increasing surface water consumption to meet the growing water demand with the approval of the 2012 Law on Water and the 2010 National Water Programme. Implementation of such legislation has been challenging, however.

Water scarcity is not just a problem for the capital. Big mining operations in the Gobi desert constantly put water resources to the test. The Gobi has very little surface water, comprising 0.03 percent of total surface water in Mongolia.

The main source of water in the Gobi is underground aquifers, with 60 percent of total groundwater resources in Mongolia located in Gobi areas. That groundwater is not of much use for drinking, however, due to high levels of substances such as fluoride, iron and uranium.

Water consumed for agricultural uses is also cause for strain. In some places the volume of water consumption per head of livestock is low – and the same often goes per individual. Many herders transport water from far off distance to give their livestock.

It is hard to imagine a life without water while there is currently always a fresh supply readily available. Better water management through measures such as raising the cost for its consumption may be what Ulaanbaatar’s citizens need to place more value on their freshwater supply.

Ownership of Lenin Museum finally confirmed

March 13 (new.mn) The long legal battle over the privatization of the Lenin Museum has finally been solved after one year of debate. The high profile case has now been resolved and the ownership of the Lenin Museum was decided in favor of its intended use as museum after 11 delay by the claimant the Mongolian People`s Party (MPP). 

On Wednesday, the Minister of Culture, Sport and Tourism Ts.Oyungerel and the Chairman of the State Property Committee D.Tsogtbaatar made a joint announcement that the Lenin Museum is confirmed as state property after the decisions of three levels of courts.

The Government decided to convert the Lenin Museum into a building to promote the history of dinosaurs with the intention to protect, verify and register paleontological findings and cultural heritage after the smuggled Tyrannosaurus (Tarbosaurus) Bataar skeleton was returned back home. The Lenin Museum was built using the State budget on the decision of the Ministry of Culture in 1974. 

However after the owner of the building, the Historical Institute of MPRP was abolished, the former MPRP, now MPP, has used the building as a commercial property.

The Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism plans to hold an open tender for the reconstruction and repair works of the main building in order to turn the museum into a paleontological museum where Tyrannosaurus (Tarbosaurus) Bataar and other dinosaur fossils can be displayed for the public. 

Russia to Help Mongolia Build Sports Hall

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ The Ambassador of Russia to Mongolia IskanderAzizov Wednesday met with the Mongolian Olympic team, who attended the 2014 Winter Games in Russian Sochi.

The meeting was also attended by MsTs.Oyungerel, the Minister of Sports, Culture and Tourism, MrD.Zagdsuren, the president of the Mongolian Olympic Committee, and MrR.Rash, a president of the Mongolian Ski Association.

MrAzizov expressed a willingness to cooperate with Mongolia in sports, recommending involvement of Russian firms in construction projects for a stadium and a sports complex in the country. He is confident that the proposed joint projects would be a symbol of the cooperation of our countries in humanities and investments.

MsOyungerel thanked the Ambassador for the cooperation in sports, and said the President of Mongolia Ts.Elbegdorj had issued a decree to advance winter sports in the nation. "We want learn your experiences in developing winter sports," she added. 

Hakuho, Harumafuji Stay Undefeated with Solid Wins on Day 4

Ulaanbaatar, March 13(MONTSAME) The yokozuna duo of Hakuho and Harumafuji both posted convincing wins on March 12 at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka to stay in a six-way tie for the lead.

The news was released on asahi.com website, same day.

Hakuho overpowered Okinoumi, getting both arms around the No. 2 maegashira and driving him out in a matter of seconds to improve to 4-0. Okinoumi put up little resistance and dropped to 2-2 in the day's penultimate bout at Osaka Prefectural Gymnasium.

Hakuho is gunning for his 29th career title, which is just two shy of former great Chiyonofuji and closing in on the all-time record held by Taiho with 32. At just 29 years old, Hakuho's chances of catching Taiho are looking good.

Harumafuji, who sat out the New Year tourney with an injury, was equally impressive on March 12, fighting off an arm throw to dispatch No. 2 maegashiraTochinowaka, who dropped to 1-3, and keep pace at 4-0.

Kisenosato, Goeido, Osunaarashi and Homasho also stayed perfect on March 12.

OzekiKakuryu, who is bidding for promotion to yokozuna and needs at least 13 wins, bounced back from a March 11 loss to Okinoumi when he got a double grip on the belt of the Kotooshu and hoisted thesekiwake out to improve to 3-1. Former ozekiKotooshu fell to 1-3.

OzekiKisenosato kept his slate clean with a difficult win over top maegashiraTamawashi.

The two wrestlers exchanged a series of arm thrusts and Kisenosato looked to be in trouble, but Tamawashi stepped out over the raised ring to end the bout and take his fourth straight loss.

Top maegashira Endo's struggles against the elite wrestlers continued when he was shoved out by ozekiKotoshogiku to remain without a win.

Kotoshogiku improved to 3-1 when he got both arms around his opponent and dispatched Endo in a matter of seconds. To add insult to injury, Endo left the ring with a bloodied forehead.

After impressing in previous tournaments, Endo quickly moved up the ranks and became a fan favorite, but the first four days of the tournament have shown he has a lot to learn at the higher ranks.

SekiwakeGoeido displayed deft footwork at the edge while getting an arm lock on Shohozan and sending the winless komusubi out to maintain a share of the lead at 4-0.

In an earlier bout, Egypt's Osunaarashi stayed tied for the lead and showed he is more than just brawn in a bout with massive Georgian-born Gagamaru.

After being pushed back to the edge by a series of arm thrusts, No. 11 maegashiraOsunaarashi calmly swatted down the 199-kilogram No. 9 maegashira at the edge to improve to 4-0. Gagamaru, who just tried to rely on his weight advantage with frontal shoves, dropped to 1-3.

Juryo-ranked wrestler Homasho is also at 4-0 after forcing out winless 15th-ranked maegashiraTenkaiho.

Elsewhere, komusubiToyonoshima shoved out sekiwakeTochiozan to give both wrestlers a 2-2 record.