Mongolia Brief August 15, 2014 Part IV
Russian
Ambassador: We will reach agreement on Mongolian issues
By Ch. Khaliun
August 17 (UB
Post) Zuunii Medee spoke frankly with
with I.K.Azizov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to
Mongolia, ahead of President Putin’s upcoming state visit, and discussed
bilateral relations and upcoming negotiations.
We have only two neighbor countries and our
citizens have always shown a fondness for Russia. Even now, we use the term
“brothers”.
It’s probably a
tradition from the Soviet Union. I know that in Asia, fraternity is designated
as older or younger brothers. I guess that the word “brother” is respectful,
but I prohibit using this term, because I don’t want to insult Mongolians by
saying something domineering, like “You’re our younger brothers and we are your
older brothers.” Therefore, we can’t define our current relations this way.
That’s why we are pretty interested in
President Putin’s visit after 14 years.
We are planning
President Putin’s visit in accordance with the 75th anniversary of the Battles
of Khalkhiin Gol. I’ll stress one more time that we are planning. I’m saying
this because we didn’t officially announce the date of the visit. In a
diplomatic manner, both sides have discussed the date of the visit and
publicizing it seven to ten days in advance, but if diplomats are planning a
visit, there is a high probability that the visit will be organized. Bilateral
preparations are taking place.
Mongolians are expecting so much from
Putin’s visit. For example, setting gas lines from Russia to China through
Mongolia. Of course, the Ulaanbaatariin Tunkhaglal (UB Declaration) is an
important document. However, we can’t see improvements to economic ties and
investment issues. We haven’t implemented any major economic projects. Do you
think we will establish an agreement on a project which could be an economic
boom?
We have been
looking for chances to strengthen our friendly relations. I don’t agree with
you that there have been no improvements to bilateral relations since 2000. If
we want to use the term “boom”, cancelling 97.8 percent of Mongolian debt can
apply. This set the Mongolian economy free and positively influenced drawing in
external investment for multilateral projects. In December 2012, both sides
contributed 125,000 USD to the railway’s statutory fund. UB Railway is actually
a uniquely Mongolian international transport line. Since January, Russia and
Mongolia have been actively discussing establishing a negotiation on bilateral
exemptions of visas for citizens, for the first of next year. Reaching an
agreement on that issue will be a historic event for our relations.
Moreover, since 2000, major industries like Erdenet and Mongolrostsvetment made
significant technological renovations. So we can’t say that our relations
aren’t moving forward, or that they’ve stopped. Also, both sides actively
discussed a project for a new railway in 2009 and 2011. If you are asking if we
will make a major agreement, as expected by the public, my answer is yes. Also,
there will be decisions made that won’t make headlines.
Then will the issue on setting up a gas
line through Mongolia be approached again? Or has it already been decided that
the gas line from Russia to China will not pass through Mongolia?
As President
Putin said, setting the gas line to the east is already obvious, but it won’t
pass through Mongolia. Also, we are planning to set up a gas line to China in
the west. We are actively discussing the operation of those gas lines with the
Chinese side.
What is your opinion on bilateral visa
exemptions?
We have
information that from Mongolia to Russia, 600,000 people travel in duplicated
numbers, whereas from Russia to Mongolia, it’s 100,000 people. From our
experience, we’ve noticed that after exempting visa requirements, the number of
travelers surges. If we reach this agreement on visa exemption, then
multilateral relations will improve in business, humanity, culture, science,
education, sport and tourism.
Opposition
parties call for dissolution of the Reform Government
By Ch. Khaliun
August 17 (UB
Post) Thirteen parties without seats in Parliament announced that they are
submitting a call for the immediate resignation of the Reform Government. They
want an irregular session of Parliament held to decide the issue before the
state visits of the heads of China and Russia.
Mongolia is
placing high priority on these visits, and the opposition parties believe the
Reform Government doesn’t have any legal or ethical standing in front of the
foreign leaders. The party representatives previously announced eight grounds
for dissolution of the government, and are now presenting one more reason.
Party leaders consider the violation of justice by Prime Minister N.Altankhuyag
a strong enough reason to dissolve the government.
Court Chairman
of the Hamug Mongol Labor Party, Ts.Shinebayar said, “Sacking money for
decreasing UB’s pollution, which is already out of control, is not an ordinary
matter. It is the same matter as using financial assistance for an earthquake,
war or tsunami, so a person who embezzles that kind of money should be doubly
charged and carry the responsibility. That’s why defending such a person shows
us how cynical a person the PM is.”
Leader of the
Green Party O.Bum-Yalagch added, “No matter if the party has seats in the
Parliament or not, regarding the law on political parties, our major duty is to
implicitly control if the government is working within the law. At this time,
when we have opponents failing in their duties, the controls of the political
parties are very important. So that’s why we are requiring dissolving the
Government.”
From 1990 to
2012, Mongolian foreign debt was 5 billion MNT, but in the two years following
the formation of the Reform Government, this amount has surged four times.
Opponents say that they have spent money from the Chinggis Bond without any
policy, purpose or calculation and now the country is experiencing an economic
depression. National debt is now twice as high as the GDP, and critics believe
this is evidence that the Mongolian economy is completely dependent on foreign
countries.
Student-Soldiers
take oath
By D. Sergelen
August 17 (UB
Post) The oath taking ceremony of the student-soldiers program was held at
Chinggis Square on Wednesday. Over 418 freshmen of 42 universities and other
higher learning institutes are taking part in the student-soldier program. The
President of Mongolia and Commander in Chief of the Mongolian Armed Force,
Ts.Elbegdorj attended in the ceremony and stressed, “Taking an oath for the
homeland is a real contribution of a soldier. As soon as you meet requirements
and are ready at any given time, you can consider your-self a real soldier.
Taking an oath is not a typical ceremony because a soldier’s oath is as
valuable as our homeland and human life. There is no right to refuse or violate
the oath and this program will continue and expand in the future.”The
student-soldiers have studied 560 hours of lessons each, out which, two months
were de-voted to soldier training and nine lessons on tac-tics, military rules,
physical training, marching in formation, military communications training,
engineering, weaponry, survival, and firefighting. The trainings took place at
the 119th Military Unit base.
Cars
parked on first lanes to be wheel-clamped starting next week
By A. Oyunzul
August 17 (UB
Post) Starting next week, vehicles parked on the first lanes of main roads will
be wheel-clamped for violating parking regulations as a penalty, instead of
being towed away. The capital city begun towing away vehicles parked on the
first lanes of main road this year.
Kh.Odbayar, crime prevention inspector of
the Traffic Police Department, spoke to journalists about the new regulation
and its implementation.
Wheel clamps will soon be put into action.
When will this start?
On June 26, the
City Council approved the “Clamping procedure” through its 98th resolution.
Pursuant to this procedure, vehicles will be wheel-clamped for violating
parking regulations. This will start on the 18th of this month.
Is there any reason for the new wheel-clamping
regulation? If this is put into action, will vehicles parked on first lanes
still be towed away?
The operation
of towing vehicles that parked in a prohibited area or in front of a driveway
was carried out by the Road Traffic Management. During operation, citizens made
complaints about very high fines, and the location of temporary custody.
Therefore, considering citizen’s complaints, we decided to wheel-clamp
vehicles. Putting cars into temporary custody will of course proceed. If a
vehicle is parked on the first lane of downtown roads like Ikh Toiruu and Seoul
District, they will be towed away and wheel-clamped.
How much is the fine for vehicles that have
been wheel-clamped?
It is 20,000
MNT. If drivers don’t pay their fines within work hours of the day their
vehicles are clamped, we will put it in temporary custody. If a driver comes
before it is wheel-clamped, a photo will be taken as proof and a parking ticket
will be delivered to the driver’s address. Also, if parked in a prohibited
space, the vehicle will be clamped and traffic police will put contact details
on the windshield.
It is said that drivers will have to pay to
drive on main roads. Are there any complaints from citizen?
Proposals about
paying 40 thousand MNT to 50 thousand MNT to drive on central roads was faced
with many complaints, while some citizens approved of this proposal. Discussion
about this issue is still being held on the internet. The Mayor hasn’t issued
an official order.
Traffic is going to be quite busy due to
the start of school activities. What actions will be held by your department?
Each year,
traffic gets busy starting September 1. Last year, we managed this by
prohibiting cars that had license plate numbers that ended with even and odd
numbers on certain weekdays. Citizens appreciated this action. We have planned
a similar course and made a proposal to Mayor of Ulaanbaatar. We are also
planning to carry out a public poll on this matter.
Private
sector calls for action from Mongol Bank
By B. Mendbayar
August 17 (UB
Post) Representatives of several private sector organizations, including the
Con-federation of Mongolian Trade Unions, Mongolian Employers Federation,
Mongolia Energy Association, CEO Club of Mongolia and the Mongolian National
Mining Association, urged Mongol Bank to intensify the implementation of
monetary policy to stabilize foreign currency exchange rates.
The private
sector organizations said, “The private sector is facing considerable losses
due to the foreign exchange rate in-crease. The USD exchange rate increase is
raising the price of goods and under-mining citizens’ purchasing power, thus
pressuring national industries and domes-tic traders.”
Mongol Bank is
legally responsible for maintaining the stability of national currency.
Accordingly, Mongol Bank must implement appropriate monetary policy and
maintain economic growth. The entrepreneurs criticized Mongol Bank for not
taking any other measures aside from increasing policy interest rates at a time
when economic growth is in decline due to continuous foreign ex-change rate
increases. They warned about the possible negative repercussions of increasing
policy interest rates during a press conference, and emphasized that the measures
companies are taking, including furloughing workers and unpaid vacations, in
order to overcome current economic decline, are undermining citizens’ lives.
They also noted that exchange rate fluctuations have resulted in increased
un-employment.
As of the
convening day, the USD exchange rate was 1,899 MNT and likely to increase. The
representatives noted that increasing policy interest rates was not an
appropriate measure at this time. They propose that Parliament conduct a
realistic analysis of the current economic and social situation of Mongolia and
take urgent measures to stabilize exchange rates.
Below is the
claim urging Mongol Bank and Parliament to stabilize ex-change rate
fluctuations and intensify the implementation of monetary policy:
1. To discuss
the report by the CEO of Mongol Bank on measures taken to stabilize exchange
rate fluctuations, maintain the MNT exchange rate against foreign currency,
maintain MNT purchasing power, the implementation of monetary policy through
Parliament, and take concrete measures
2. To listen to
the opinions and ideas of private sector organizations on the means to
stabilize exchange rate fluctuations
3. To establish
a working group with state and private sector participation which would
accurately estimate the losses citizens and entrepreneurs have faced due to
exchange rate instability, and figure out the means to resolve the estimated
losses
4. To quickly
implement concrete measures to stabilize exchange rates and MNT depreciation
They also
emphasized the necessity of quickly approving a law that will require all
export related transactions to be made through Mongolian bank accounts, categorizing
government bond resources such as the Chinggis Bond and Samurai Bond as foreign
exchange income, and supporting projects with available investment in order to
increase foreign investment. In addition, they reminded Mongol Bank and
Parliament that restarting currently delayed major projects ready for action
would add to the state budget and increase export. The organizations asked
Mongol Bank and Parliament to impose a special tax on unfair income derived
from the exchange rate increase and grant in-come tax refunds to citizens and
companies affected by exchange rate pressures this year. They requested that
Mongol Bank and Parliament figure out and implement short-term measures to
overcome the economic crisis in association with social partners.
Park
Ranger: I will protect this land until I die
By Chris
Geminiano
August 17 (UB
Post) Mongolia is a landscape of great
diversity and great beauty. One such unique area is the Ikh Gazriin Chuluu
Nature Reserve in the Dundgovi Province. Known as the birthplace of famed long
singer, Namjilyn Norovbanzad, these steppes continue to inspire long singers,
naturists, nomads and visitors alike.
M. Munkhochir, a park ranger with the
Ministry of Environment and Green Development at Ikh Gazriin Chuluu agreed to
speak with the UB Post about his job and the region but refused to be
photographed.
What is your role as park ranger?
As a park
ranger, I try to protect and keep the shape of the natural landscape. I protect
the habitat of the animals from illegal hunters, and safeguard ancient burial
grounds. I also help campers by guiding them and showing them the area, telling
them where they can stay and legally and safely set campfires
How long have you been at your post?
Six years. But
my predecessor was a trailblazer. He did a lot of work to make this place a
protected area. He did a lot of research, and in 2003, he presented it to the
government. This led to the area becoming the first level of national parks-
reserve land. He knew that this place is an important place for Mongolians.
Many years ago, there weren’t as many tourists here, so before it was a
national park, the land was free for everyone. My predecessor was just a
volunteer at the time and did this job on his own time, paying for his own
gasoline and other expenses. He worked relentlessly with state officials to make
the area a national park.
What are some of the issues you’ve
encountered in this job?
Of course,
there have been some problems during my six-year tenure. Campers set fires
everywhere and that’s very common. They set their tents and have fires without
being known and they can leave their trash everywhere. The land is very big for
one person to protect. Outsiders enter the park from everywhere because there
are several roads into the area. People have also dug up a burial without
permission. A local tipped me, and I caught the grave diggers with my camera,
so I handed them over to the police. I haven’t dealt with illegal hunters
because the locals work very closely with me. They also inform me of any
suspicious activity and tell me right away if there is a problem. That’s why
it’s hard for illegal hunters. The locals are very protective of the wild
animals and respect them.
Are you originally from here?
Yes, I’m from
the western side of the rock area, around the national park.
How much do you know about Namjilyn
Norovbanzad, the famous long singer who is from this area?
There is a
stage that was made in honor of her. It’s Mongolia’s first and largest
permanent open-air stage. During my tenure, there have been about four or five
concerts. Each year, the concert has had a different name and a different
theme. Last year there was a really big international festival. This year they
announced that they were having a concert, but it hasn’t happened yet. Either
there is no set date, or it may not be held. The stage opened in 2006, a few
years after her death. Before she passed away, she came back to visit her
hometown. She was born between Deren and Gurvansaikhan soum. The exact
birthplace is about 15 km from the memorial stage. They also built a memorial
statue, and together with the stage and her birthplace, it is built as one
straight line.
What do you like most about your job?
My favorite
thing about this job is being able to keep this land beautiful. This is where I
grew up and I’m very proud of being able to watch over this landscape.
What is the hardest thing about your job?
The hardest
thing to deal with is the fact that campers leave their trash. It makes me sad.
They should take back the garbage that they bring with them from the city. If
they brought it here, how can they not have room in their cars to bring it
back?
Why is protecting the environment so
important to you?
This area of
the Gobi has such beauty. It used to be the bottom of the sea. The structure of
the steppes and the way it’s built attracts a lot of people. If I’m not here,
there could be a big mess. So I must watch over this area and keep it as
natural as possible. The wild animals could be hunted and burials will be
destroyed. Fortunately, lots of campers also help preserve the land by cleaning
their mess.
The mining industry has boosted the
Mongolian economy. What’s your opinion of mining companies coming into this
environment to extract from the land?
Within 70 or 80
milometers from here, there used to be several mining companies. My department,
as well as the locals, pushed or are pushing hard to close these companies,
because the locals are very respectful of the area. Mining isn’t good for the
cattle and damages the environment. There are four levels of national parks.
Currently this park is on the third tier, so it’s almost at the highest level
of protected national park.
But what if the mining is sustainable?
Well, we are
fighting to keep it as natural as possible. The locals in this area are making
enough income to feed themselves, so they don’t really need more money from
mining.
How long do you see yourself doing this
job?
I’m going to
work until I can’t work anymore or until the day I die. Typically those in my
position retire early. But once I reach that age I’m still allowed to continue
the job. This is why I’d like to keep doing this.
Link to
interview
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