Mongolia Brief September 15, 2014 Part II



Statistics on Air and Climate
By B. Amarsaikhan
Ulaanbaatar, September 15 (MONTSAME) The highest precipitation of 89.8 mm was recorded in Tsetserleg soum of Khovsgol aimag this August, according to the Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology. 

Erdene soum of Dornogobi aimag had the highest air temperature (+37°C), while Bayantes soum of Zavkhan aimag had the lowest (-5°C). Wind speed reached 26.0 m/sec in Baruun-Urt soum of Sukhbaatar aimag. 
For the acceptable level of air quality standards in August, a daily average concentration of nitrogen dioxide exceeded 15 times around the West crossroad, 6 times around the 13th micro district, 2 times around the 32nd Toirog.
The particulate matter less than 10 micrograms exceeded 14 times around the 13th micro district, 12 times around the Kharkhorin market, 6 times around the West crossroad from the maximum allowable concentration of air quality standard in August.  

Disasters in Figures
By B. Amarsaikhan
Ulaanbaatar, September 15 (MONTSAME) As of this August, 3,093 disasters and accidents occurred this year. As a result, 140 people died, 14,592 livestock and animals were lost. 
Among the natural disasters and accidents reported in the first 8 months of this year, 2,640 were construction fires, 132 forest fires, 109 cases of domestic animal rabies, 73 floods and river and lake accidents, 32 floods, 28 cases of 3.5 magnitude earthquakes. The fires caused 8.1 billion Togrog damage, fire forests--of 1.4 billion, heavy rains and floods--of 755.4 million ans so on. A sum of 496.2 million was spent on removing the disasters and accidents' consequences.
In the same period, 83 people died from drowning in rivers and lakes, 43 in the construction fires, four from thunder, three in forest fires and artisanal mining and rock falls, two in heavy rains, floods and severe storms. The occurrences of the natural disasters and accidents decreased by 139 against the previous year. 

Crimes Increase
By B. Amarsaikhan
Ulaanbaatar, September 15 (MONTSAME) At the national level, some 17 thous. crimes were registered in the first eight months of this year, increasing by 787 crimes or 4.7 percent against the same period of the previous year. 
This increase was largely attributable to the rises in crimes such as crimes against the right of ownership (512) and infliction of body injuries (464). In the crimes, 6,881 people were injured, 722 died. The number of the injured reached 856 or 14.2 percent, increasing by 24 people or 3.4 percent against the previous year.   

"Five Thousand Balls” Project Launches
By B. Khuder
Ulaanbaatar, September 15 (MONTSAME) A ceremony took place Sunday to launch the "5,000 balls" project initiated by the President Ts.Elbegdorj.
In its frames, five thousand soccer balls together with textbooks about football will be delivered to some 800 secondary schools across the country. At the ceremony, the official partner of the Mongolian Football Federation (MFF)--the “MCS Coca Cola” company--gave the gifts to children at the Central Stadium, after which young footballers showed a demo game. 
Present at the ceremony were also L.Gantomor, the Minister of Education and Science; A.Ganbaatar, an advisor to the President and vice president of the MFF; B.Ganbold, the MFF president; Urs Zanitti, an executive director of the Project on Asian Football Development; Stephen Sonderman, a director of the “One World--Football” project for Asian region; and John Hibbert, a spokesman of the World Vision International Organization in Mongolia.  

Mongolia Finishes 2014 Fila Wrestling World Championships with 1 Gold and 3 Bronze Medals
September 15 (infomongolia.com) The 2014 FILA Wrestling World Championships in the Men's Greco-Roman Wrestling, Men's Freestyle Wrestling and Women's Freestyle Wrestling tournaments successfully ended at “Gymnastics Palace” in Tashkent, Uzbekistan on September 14, 2014.
Mongolian National Team participated with its 16 athletes both 8 wrestlers in the Men’s and Women’s categories and on the Day 2, E.Nyam-Ochir, Men’s 61 kg and G.Mandakhnaran, Men’s 65 kg, have won Bronze medals.
As of Women’s Team, our female wrestlers grabbed a Gold by S.Tserenchimed, 60 kg and a Bronze by O.Burmaa, 75 kg.
The World Champion title by 19 years old age S.Tserenchimed is the fifth Gold medal in Mongolian freestyle wrestling history.
Before, Mongolia won its first and second Gold medals by Zeveg OIDOV, Men’s 62 kg, in Istanbul, Turkey in 1974 and in Minsk, USSR in 1975; by Khorloo BAYANMUNKH, Men’s 100 kg, in Minsk, USSR in 1975; and Soronzonbold BATTSETSEG, Women’s 59 kg, in Moscow, Russia in 2010.
Mongolian Men’s and Women’s teams both achieved sixth places respectively, thus accredited to compete in the Teams competitions at the 2015 FILA Wrestling World Cup.
Related:

Mongolia to issue mining exploration licenses
September 15 (news.mn) Mongolia has announced that it will issue mining exploration licenses starting September 24th. The news was announced during a press conference held by Mining Minister D.Gankhuyag and Chairman of the Mineral Resources Authority of Mongolia D. Uurintuya on September 15th. Officials say that the exploration and mining license issuing process has become completely regulated and will licenses will be issued on a scientific basis, not like the previous process.
Application numbers for licenses will be available online in order to provide more transparency in the procedure.
The move comes after Mongolian parliament passed amendments to the Minerals Law, which lifted a ban on the issuing and processing of new licenses, on July 1st.
Under the amendments, areas that can be granted under exploration licenses will be determined and publicly reported based on the suggestions from the National Geology Office.
Mining Ministry officials hope that this will create the opportunity to conduct step-by-step surveys and analysis of Mongolia’s mineral resources, maintain a thorough database and national registry of mineral resources, increase economic growth and competitiveness, and attract more investment.
It is estimated that the areas that qualify for exploration licenses cover 19.88 percent of the nation's territory, or 31.09 million hectares.
Related:
Exploration Licenses to Be IssuedMontsame, September 15

Mongolia-China Youth Experience Exchange Program underway
September 15 (news.mn) As part of intergovernmental cooperation between Mongolia and China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia is launching  its third year of a Mongolia-China youth exchange program in politics, business, society, culture and sports, in collaboration with the Mongolian Youth Federation.
For the Mongolia-China Youth Experience Exchange Program, 60 youth from China are visiting Mongolia from September 10-16th.
The Chinese youth participating in the program are delegates from China's government, the All-China Youth Federation, and China's young leaders in politics, business, society, art, culture, and sports.
As part of the program, the Mongolia-China Youth Business Conference was organized at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia on September 12th. Youth from both countries exchanged views on their nations' business environment, seeking opportunities for cooperation, and held an open discussion for sharing their experience.
Talented, successful young people with businesses in construction, real estate, railway, roads, travel, IT, energy, education, and agriculture in China came together with young Mongolian entrepreneurs in construction, roads, transport, banking and finance.
This is the first time the Mongolia-China Youth Business Conference has been held, and it is expected to be organized in a wider range next year.

Russia hints Mongolia’s joining to SCO as China backs up with financial measures
By Amarsanaa
September 15 (business-mongolia.com) Last Thursday (September 11), during the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Meeting, the Russian President Vladimir Putin called for Russia, China and Mongolia to increase trilateral contacts and cooperate on joint projects in infrastructure, mining, and energy, which is codenamed in Mongolia as “Talyn Zam” or “Steppe Infrastructure” (in English.)
Specifically, Putin said: “The natural geographic proximity of Mongolia, Russia and China makes it possible for us to implement good long-term projects in infrastructure, the power sector and the mining industry. We have what to discuss with each other. Naturally, we deem it important, expedient and useful to start a permanent dialogue.”
The origin of the idea for a Russia-China-Mongolia trilateral cooperation on “Talyn Zam” is elaborated during the preparation the Chinese Chairman’s visit to Mongolia in August 2014, when the Mongolian side actively working on the negotiation. Sources could say that Minister Batbayar is masterminded the idea, because of his lead the team of the preparation for the visit. The idea was enriched by the Chinese side and later with Russians, which has a little passive reaction over the initiative. However, the Russian President promised to continue the dialogue in the future, namely until the 70th anniversary of Russia’s victory in the Second World War next year, where Xi and Elbegdorj are both invited. Even the Russian side invited the Mongolian armed force to take part in the military parade.
The whole idea was coincides with the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative, proposed by Xi during his visit to Central Asia last year, eyes a revival of the ancient trade route linking China with Central Asia and Europe.
The three countries, Xi pointed out, can dovetail the Silk Road Economic Belt initiative with Russia’s transcontinental rail plan and Mongolia’s Prairie Road program, and jointly build a China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor (Talyn Zam).
On building the corridor, Xi called on the three sides to strengthen traffic interconnectivity, facilitate cargo clearance and transportation, and study the feasibility of building a transnational power grid.
As part of the initiative, Xi also suggested that the three countries beef up cooperation in such areas as tourism, think tank, media, environmental protection, and disaster prevention and relief.
The three countries should deepen cooperation within the framework of the SCO, jointly safeguard regional security, and achieve common development, said the Chinese leader.
Founded in Shanghai in 2001, the SCO groups China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.
China’s Silk Road Economic Belt initiative offers important opportunities for trilateral cooperation, the Russian president said, calling on the three sides to combine their development plans and establish a long-term and stable cooperative relationship in the areas of energy, mining and transportation infrastructure construction.
As the Russian official suggested that SCO is expected to consider Mongolia as the next member of the organization, which is set to become a transport hub.
“We hope that the SCO will consider the issue of accepting new member states, including Mongolia. New members will receive aid to develop security,” Feng Noyzun said at the International Information Agency Rossiya Segodnya press conference.
“We will seek more innovative ways of collaboration. China, Russia and Kazakhstan have reached a lot of mutual understanding in Central Asia, the oil and gas pipelines are just the start of the partnership,” he said.
“For Mongolia, we need to see how it can become a transport hub in SCO, and how it could offer a new model of cooperation,” the Chinese expert added.
Chen Yu Zhu, who also heads the international relations institute, said expanding the SCO is important as it will lead to stronger influence of the organization on the international arena.
Andrei Kortunov, Director General of the Russian International Affairs Council, said: “Mongolia’s membership is a prospect. Mongolia has its own keys to North Korea. So the SCO is not a war or economic bloc, but a more flexible, more functional organization. And that is why the Mongolian case is needed.”
The Chinese experts participated in the video link-up between Moscow and Beijing organized by the International Information Agency Rossiya Segodnya press center ahead of the SCO summit to be held in Tajikistan’s capital Dushanbe on September 11-12.
SCO is a Eurasian political, economic and military organization founded in 2001 in Shanghai by the leaders of China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. Afghanistan, India, Iran, Mongolia and Pakistan are currently observer members.
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