Mongolia Brief September 9, 2014 Part I



J.Batzandan MP Meets General Consul of Australia
By B. Khuder
Ulaanbaatar, September 9 (MONTSAME) A member of the State Great Khural J.Batzandan Monday received Mr Burchill Tony Reinhold, the General Consul of Australia to Mongolia, in the State House.

He thanked the General Consulate for arriving and said he wants to have information on a present situation of the Mongolia-Australia ties, especially in the economy, education and mining spheres.
In response, Mr Reinhold thanked the parliamentarian for receiving him and gave details about the current bilateral relations and cooperation, ongoing projects and programmes and works being run within loans and assistance.
Mongolia and Australia have been collaborating in the educational sector for some 20 years, and 400 people have got master and PhD degrees in Australian universities and institutes so far, Mr Reinhold noted. After this the sides exchanged views on the cooperation in the economy and cultural sectors.

V.Putin's visit to Mongolia featured on a Mongolian postage stamp
September 9 (news.mn) Mongol Post released a special issue postage stamp dedicated to Russian President V.Putin's 5-hour visit to Mongolia on September 3rd, on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the historic victory at the Battles of Khalkh Gol. The special issue postage stamp dedicated to the Russian leader's visit to Mongolia is available for 800 MNT.
Mongol Post also issued a special stamp to commemorate the state visit of China's President Xi Jinping to Mongolia in August.

Minister L.Bold meets European Commissioner
September 9 (news.mn) Foreign Affairs Minister L.Bold met with the European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism, Sport, Media and Youth, Androulla Vassiliou, who was on an official visit to Mongolia, on Monday, September 8th.
At the meeting, the parties had talks on increasing bilateral educational and cultural relations, having Mongolian students involved in education and culture programs implemented by the European Commission, and other topics.
On the same day, Minister LBold and Vassiliou attended a celebration of the 25th anniversary of cooperation between Mongolia and the European Commission.
For the 25th anniversary of cooperation between Mongolia and the European Commission, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the European Union Catherine Ashton delivered greetings to Foreign Affairs Minister L.Bold.

“In Morning of Vast Steppe” Art Exhibition by A.Chadraabal Makes its Opening Today
September 9 (infomongolia.com) The 14th solo exhibition themed "In the Morning of Vast Steppe" by UMA (Union of Mongolian Artists) prize-winning artist A.Chadraabal, 35, is making its opening at the Blue Moon art gallery in UB today to continue until September 18, 2014.
Most of his paintings with dynamic movements are abstract at first impression but devoted to and speak more emotional courage of horses that produce strong expressive characters and action-packed excitement. The horses symbolize a healthy, vital life full of strength and it is no wonder that just a Mongolian has such a strong feeling for horses, because a Mongol life without horses cannot be imagined.
The recent his solo exhibition was displayed in UB last March and earlier in January, A.Chadraabal performed his “Khiimori” exhibition in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia and “In our heart of Chinggis Khaan” in Ordos city of Inner Mongolia in April 2014. Moreover, he participated with his “Spring” collection in the 28th Asia International Art Exhibition held at Kinmen History and Art Museum, Taiwan last March, besides he exhibited many other his work pieces in Ulaanbaatar and from September 21, A.Chadraabal is planning to exhibit his “In the Morning of Vast Steppe” collection in China.

Prime Minister of Mongolia N.Altankhuyag Announces to Reshuffle His Cabinet
September 9 (infomongolia.com) At 09:00 pm on September 08, 2014, Prime Minister Norov ALTANKHUYAG delivered a speech addressing to the people of Mongolia on Mongolian National Broadcaster to report the two-year works accomplished by his Cabinet mottoed the New Government for Changes.
In his speech, Premier N.Altankhuyag said, “In the past 20 years, Mongolia constructed plants to produce 200 MW of electricity, so this Government created same capacity industry within two years. Besides, previous five Governments have executed a total of 2,300 km of road in 12 years, so we have accomplished 2,500 km of road just in 2 years, which is recorded in history.
In one year, apartments were built for 36 thousand households and 1,200,000 sq.m flats have been fulfilled and in order to provide with opportunities, the mortgage loans were reduced from 16% to 8% a year, where residents of provincial areas can apply for 7% housing loan. With finance of Chinggis Bond, reinforcing steel and cement industries have been enlarged its capacities that help to avoid dependence from external manufacturers.
It was discovered a huge resource of coal-bed methane in Tavan Tolgoi coal mine, which is similar to natural gas and from the determined 20-30 billion cubic meters of methane, we can resolve Ulaanbaatar city’s heat and electricity solutions for the period of 30 years. Moreover, gasoline prices were stabilized as a result of implementing a program with Central Bank of Mongolia.
In the frameworks of amending some laws, foreign and domestic investments have been obviously increased, despite of the facts that the Oyu Tolgoi and Tavan Tolgoi projects are temporarily frozen, which become the keys to unlock major investments into Mongolia. Therefore, we intend to resolve the dispute on Oyu Tolgoi issue within this autumn, consequently, a 4 billion USD of investment is anticipated. In order to forward Oyu Tolgoi and Tavan Tolgoi projects, we need to finalize the railway issue, apart from this; we have to accelerate works on Mongolian Stock Exchange.
Within two weeks for the past 5-11 years, the historic visits of the heads of state of China and Russia were conducted to Mongolia and during their visits, many important intergovernmental documents were inked that are beginning of new starts between our two neighbors as the two big powers of the world leaders. In the scope of Steppe Road Project, it is a step close to organize a trilateral top-level dialogue between China, Russia and Mongolia in Ulaanbaatar on running infrastructure network through Mongolian territory and now, only active and close cooperation is required from us”.
Most notably, during his address, Prime Minister N.Altankhuyag made a statement that in order to accelerate the Government efforts; the Cabinet will make some changes in its members or so-called to reshuffle the Cabinet in the beginning of Autumn Plenary Session of the Parliament”.
Related:
Standing Committee Head Meets EXBS Programme Manager
By B. Khuder
Ulaanbaatar, September 9 (MONTSAME) Head of the parliamentary Standing committee on justice D.Ganbat Tuesday received a delegation led by Mr Daniel Blake Pritchett, a manager of the EXBS Programme at the US Department of State.
Beginning the meeting, Mr Pritchett briefed about the programme, and then exchanged views with the Standing committee head on a draft law on the monitoring over the sales of strategic goods and on hazardous garbage.
The government submitted the bill on it to parliament in 2014, but it has been withdrawn in order to revise it. After an approval of the #1540 resolution of the UN Security Council in 2004, the President of Mongolia visited the USA in 2007, signing a bilateral memorandum of understanding on cooperating in preventing the transport of nuclear and other radioactive materials through the state borders, Mr Ganbat said.
In accordance with the EXBS programme, radioactive measuring devices have been installed in border checkpoints of Mongolia since 2008, and the bilateral cooperation in it has reached a specific achievement, Mr Ganbat said, and underlined an importance of preparing experts for this.
The parliamentarian also said the Standing committees on justice, and on environment, food and agriculture are ready to collaborate in this direction.
Present at the meeting were G.Bayarsaikhan, head of the Standing committee on environment, food and agriculture; J.Batzandan and O.Baasankhuu MPs.
The Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) Programme seeks to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and destabilizing accumulations and irresponsible transfers of conventional weapons by helping to build effective national strategic trade control systems in countries that possess, produce, or supply strategic items, as well as in countries through which such items are most likely to transit.
The EXBS Programme is designed to help countries develop and improve their strategic trade and related border control systems. In developing and improving these systems, we work to ensure conformity with international standards for regulating trade in items on the control lists of the multilateral export control regimes, to prevent the authorization of transfers to end-uses and end-users of proliferation concern, and to detect and interdict illicit transfers at the border. In building countries' capacity in this critical area, the EXBS Programme advances U.S. efforts to establish a global WMD detection architecture and helps key partners meet their obligations and commitments pursuant to important U.S. and international initiatives, including UN Security Council Resolution 1540, the Proliferation Security Initiative, the National Security Strategy and adherence to the guidelines of multilateral export control regimes.
The EXBS Programme works with partner governments to identify regulatory and institutional gaps and to develop resource requirements. The EXBS Programme provides a wide range of technical assistance, from executive exchanges to training workshops to the provision of detection equipment and specialized training for border control and enforcement agencies.
The EXBS Programme provides assistance in five core areas--laws and regulations; licensing; enforcement; government-industry cooperation; interagency and international cooperation and coordination.

Mongolians’ Unions and NGOs Abroad to Gather
By B. Khuder
Ulaanbaatar, September 9 (MONTSAME) A unified forum themed “Creative collaboration” will run September 18 in Ulaanbaatar.
Co-organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the “E-station union” NGO, the upcoming forum will bring together delegates of Mongolians’ unions, societies and NGOs abroad to discuss issues of co-tackling urgent problems facing Mongolians abroad, rendering state support to the organizations for them and seeking an opportunity and mechanism of developing the collaboration between the state and NGOs.
The organizers say the measure is important in terms of establishing close ties between the President, parliament, government and NGO and societies and unions of Mongolians residing across the world, of receiving their voice, and of inheriting Mongolian language, culture and custom to the next generations.
The forum is expected to attract some 90 delegates of Mongolians’ unions, societies and NGOs; about 50 reporters and researchers from the “E-station union” NGO; and 130-150 officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and related institutions.  
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