Europe and Mongolia discuss human rights

The European Union and Mongolia held a Joint Committee meeting under the EU-Mongolia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement on 27 June in Ulaanbaatar.
Both Mongolia’s representatives and the EU delegation reaffirmed the importance of enhancing their relations by discussing priority areas of cooperation in the political, economic and human rights spheres, and discussed opportunities for strengthening cooperation in the framework of the Europe-Asia connectivity strategy.
The EU welcomed the recent statement by the Mongolian Minister of Justice on the country’s continued strong commitment to the abolition of the death penalty.

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EBRD provides fund for Mongolia's infrastructure development

ULAN BATOR, April 10 (Xinhua) -- The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) has signed an agreement worth 300 million U.S. dollars with the Mongolian government to help the country improve its infrastructure, Mongolia's Road and Transport Development Ministry said Wednesday.

The loan agreement was signed by Irina Kravchenko, head of the EBRD Resident Office in Mongolia, and Mongolian Finance Minister Chimed Khurelbaatar here on Tuesday.

The money will be spent on projects and programs in road and transport and other infrastructure in Mongolia, including a first-phase construction project of a two-lane road between Ulan Bator and Darkhan city, the Mongolian Road and Transport Development Ministry said in a statement.

The EBRD began its operation in Mongolia in 2006. It has since implemented more than 100 projects worth 1.7 billion U.S. dollars in the country.

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EU opens diplomatic mission in Mongolia

ULAN BATOR, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) officially opened its diplomatic mission in Mongolia here on Tuesday.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica, and State Secretary of the Mongolian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Damdinsuren Davaasuren.

"I am confident that the diplomatic mission will play a significant role in strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation between Mongolia and the EU in various sectors, especially the economy," Damdinsuren Davaasuren said at the opening ceremony.

Mimica expressed his wish to vault EU-Mongolia relations to a new level through the EU deligation. The two sides established diplomatic relations in August 1989.

The EU is one of Mongolia's main trading partners, accounting for over 10 percent of its total trade volume.

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EU-Mongolia Partnership. Commissioner Mimica in Ulaanbaatar

Commissioner Neven Mimica, responsible for International Cooperation and Development, is on an official visit to Mongolia today and tomorrow, where he will meet political leaders of Mongolia, including President Khaltmaagiin Battulga, Minister of Foreign Affairs Damdin Tsogtbaatar, Minister of Finance Chimed Khurelbaatar and Minister of Labour and Social Protection Sodnom Chinzorig.

“The EU’s support for Mongolia is and remains strong and this visit is an opportunity to promote ongoing development projects in the country. The planned budget support, which we are currently discussing, would strengthen Mongolia’s public finance management and promote employment and vocational training. It would continue the work we are doing through several other ongoing projects, which are helping to diversify the Mongolian economy,” said Commissioner Mimica.

"The EU’s support for Mongolia is and remains strong and this visit is an opportunity to promote ongoing development projects in the country," said Commissioner Mimica.

As part of his visit, the Commissioner will also officially inaugurate the new European Union Delegation in Ulaanbaatar. The visit signals the European Union’s continued commitment to support Mongolia’s democracy and sustainable development. The EU-Mongolia Partnership and Cooperation Agreement entered into force in November 2017 and provides the legal framework for expanding EU-Mongolia relations and covers such issues as political dialogue, development cooperation, trade, cooperation in the field of agriculture and rural development, energy, climate change, research and innovation, education and culture.

Source:www.europeaninterest.eu

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Mongolia eager to enhance ties with EU to diversify economy

ULAN BATOR, Aug. 21 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia is keen on enhancing relations and cooperation with the European Union (EU) to diversify its mining-dependent economy, Mongolia's Parliament Speaker Miyegombo Enkhbold said Tuesday.

According to the parliament's press office, Enkhbold made the remarks when meeting with the European Union (EU) ambassador to Mongolia Traian Laurentiu Hristea.

"Particularly, we are eager to closely cooperate with the EU to implement projects aimed at developing areas of agriculture, food, energy and infrastructure, and improving small and medium-sized enterprises as well as creating more jobs," he said.

During the meeting, the two sides agreed to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral ties and cooperation at the regular inter-parliamentary meeting between Mongolia and the European Parliament in September in Ulan Bator, the parliament's press office said.

Mongolia and the EU are set to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2019.

Source:Xinhua news agency

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European investors back funding of Mongolian solar plant

By Jessica Pothering

ImpactAlpha, May 16 – Mongolia, landlocked with a population of three million, is almost entirely dependent on imported fossil fuels: 80% of its power is coal-based, while only 3% comes from renewable sources. The country has an abundance of renewable resources: its sun and wind alone could be harnessed to generate a potential 15,000 terawatt-hours per year, according to a report from the International Renewable Energy Agency. The Mongolian government is aiming for 20% renewable domestic power generation by 2020 and 30% by 2030. International development agencies and private sector players are investing in the development of Mongolia’s renewables sector.

• Biggest deal… Dutch development bank FMO, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and Triodos Investment Management are providing a €31.6 million ($37.5 million) loan to develop a 30-megawatt solar farm.
• More solar… In 2016, Mongolia’s first commercial solar plant, developed by Sharp and Shigemitsu Shoji with financing from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, began producing power.

The new solar farm, called Desert Solar Power One, will supply power to 27,000 households and be the country’s largest solar installation. The three investors are providing equal shares of financing. In 2012, FMO and the EBRD backed Mongolia’s first renewable power project: a 50-megawatt wind farm. The $120 million project was sponsored by French energy company ENGIE, German developer Ferrostaal, the Danish Climate Investment Fund and a local Mongolian entrepreneur.

Source:https://impactalpha.com/european-investors-back-funding-of-mongolian-solar-plant/

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EBRD financing for Mongolian solar plant

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is providing financing to build the largest solar plant in Mongolia.

The $31.6m loan is provided together with Triodos Investment Management and FMO Dutch Development Bank.

It will support the construction and operation of the bank’s first solar project in Mongolia.

The EBRD was the original seed investor in the first renewable energy project in the country and financed a total of three wind farms. These contributed to the creation of a renewable energy market, the bank said.

The current power and heat generation in Mongolia depends on highly polluting coal-fired combined heat and power plants.

The financing consists of an EBRD loan of $10.5m, while Triodos Investment Management and FMO Dutch Development Bank will also provide $10.5m each.

The project is in line with the bank’s Green Economy Transition approach, in which it aims to dedicate 40% of its annual investments to climate finance by 2020.

Source:EBRD

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Factsheet on the EU-Mongolia Framework Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation

The Framework Agreement on Partnership and Cooperationbetween the European Union and Mongolia is testimony to the growing importance of EU-Mongolia relations, which are based on the shared values of democracy, rule of law and human rights and respect for international commitments in this regard. It will provide the basis for a broader and more effective engagement by the EU and its Member States with Mongolia moving forward.

The Framework Agreement consists of 65 Articles with a Preamble and nine Titles, which cover:

1.    the nature and scope of the Agreement;

2.    bilateral, regional and international cooperation;

3.    cooperation on sustainable development;

4.    cooperation on trade and investment issues;

5.    cooperation in the area of justice, freedom and security;

6.    cooperation in other sectors;

7.    means of cooperation;

8.    the institutional framework;

9.    final provisions

The Agreement provides a general framework for promoting bilateral, regional and international cooperation and includes the EU’s standard political clauses on human rights, weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), the International Criminal Court (ICC), small arms and light weapons (SALWs) and counter-terrorism.

The Agreement will strengthen political, economic and sectoral cooperation across a wide range of policy fields, including trade and investment, sustainable development, justice, freedom and security. It encompasses areas such as cooperation on principles, norms and standards, raw materials, migration, organised crime and corruption, industrial policy and small and medium-sized enterprises cooperation, tourism, energy, education and culture, environment, climate change and natural resources, agriculture, health, civil society, and the modernisation of the state and public administration.

The negotiations for the EU-Mongolia Framework Agreement on started in 2010 and were concluded in 2013. On 15 February 2017, the European Parliament gave its consent to conclude the. This vote by the European Parliament was an important step in concluding the Agreement and paves the way for its entry into force.

Once it enters into force, The Agreement will supersede the current legal framework of the 1993 Agreement on Trade and Economic Cooperation between the European Economic Community and Mongolia.

Find the full text of the Framework Agreement on Partnership and Cooperation

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Mongolia's secretary of defense receives French major-general

News ID: 3028426 - Tue 19 January 2016 - 10:48

Politics

ULAANBAATAR, Jan. 18 (MNA) – The Second seminar and exhibition “French Defense Industry” was held in Mongolia on January 13-15.

The expo attracted over 100 delegates from Mongolia and France, including the official delegation from Arms and Technical Control Center of the French Defense Ministry.

On Monday, State Secretary of Ministry of Defense of Mongolia Batsaikhan received the deputy director for Asia-Pacific Affairs of the Arms and Technical Control Center.

The sides spoke highly of the organization of exhibition-seminar that took place in Mongolia for the second time, and shared opinions on ways to expand military cooperation.

Present were also, the head of Department of Monitoring, Evaluation and Internal Audits of Defense Ministry of Mongolia Gankhuyag and head of a division of State Administration and Management Department Altansukh.

MONTSAME/MNA

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Production of fruit juice and tea will expand in Mongolia with EBRD loan to MCS Coca-Cola

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is continuing to support the local production of fast-moving consumer goods in Mongolia with a new loan to MCS Coca-Cola LLC, a fully Mongolian-owned company.

The loan will finance investments in new, energy efficient glass and hot fill bottling lines which will enable MCS Coca-Cola to expand production of some categories of soft drinks, namely fruit juices and bottled tea. Part of the loan will be used for the balance sheet restructuring, according to EBRD.

MCS Coca-Cola, a leading soft drinks producer, has been producing Coca-Cola branded beverages in Mongolia since 2002. The company, owned by MCS Holding, a diversified Mongolian private group of companies, has cooperated with the EBRD in the past.

The long-term senior loan will include a local-currency portion (US$ 8 million equivalent in tugrik), to help the company hedge against foreign exchange risks.

As part of the EBRD-financed project, the company will also continue to develop distribution channels in remote regions of the vast and sparsely populated country.

The EBRD Head of Office in Ulaanbaatar, Matthieu le Blan, said: “The EBRD is supporting one of the core activities of a well-diversified group meeting the highest standards of corporate governance. It is in line with our strategy of supporting the diversification of the economy by financing competitive sectors and reducing Mongolia’s reliance on imports for consumer’s goods.”

To date, the EBRD has invested about €890 million in various sectors of the Mongolian economy.

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Mongolian President, Parliament Chairman open OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Autumn Meeting

ULAANBAATAR, Mongolia, September 17, 2015 – Mongolian President Elbegdorj Tsakhia and Parliament Chairman Enkhbold Zandaakhuu yesterday, September 16,  opened the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 2015 Autumn Meeting, which has brought together nearly 200 parliamentarians from across the OSCE’s 57 participating States in Ulaanbaatar.

Hosted by the State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia, the Meeting is focusing on continuing and emerging security concerns for the OSCE area and the role of parliamentarians in fostering co-operation to address those concerns. 

Topics to be addressed in presentations and parliamentary debate include the situation in and around Ukraine, refugee crises and human trafficking, counter-terrorism, food and water security, the development of democratic institutions and human rights issues.

In his opening address to parliamentarians, President Tsakhia said that despite acute challenges to Eurasian security, including the Ukrainian and refugee crises, there is cause for hope:

“Humankind still possesses the means and the opportunities to solve any emerging challenge… We [also] have the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. Some of the challenges are spilling over the boundaries of one continent and this necessitates creating security and open co-operation mechanisms that cross [wide areas]. I am confident that the OSCE can serve as the best model for engagement and dialogue and cross-continental co-operation and shall be a leader in finding the solutions to the most pressing issues,” he said.

Parliament Chairman Zandaakhuu noted that the 2015 Autumn Meeting coincides with the 25th anniversary of Mongolia’s first democratic elections, which led to the establishment of a permanent parliamentary system in the country. The Parliament’s decision to host the Autumn Meeting is a testament to its belief in democratic dialogue, he said:

“Today countless complicated issues still exist in many corners of the world. This calls for improved coherence and communication among international organizations, the furthering of close co-operation and the necessity to comply with decisions and recommendations… Honorable parliamentarians, the representatives of your people, I have full confidence in you all to reach a common consensus through thorough discussions and multiple approaches to the given issues,” the Chairman said.

OSCE PA President Ilkka Kanerva also addressed the Assembly’s opening session, offering wide-ranging remarks on pressing security issues that parliamentarians will discuss in the coming days.

“Regarding the crisis in and around Ukraine, our dialogue must also be in support of the Minsk Agreements, which are the only viable solution. I welcome the fact that the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine has largely held in the past several weeks. I look forward to the day when local elections can be held throughout all of Ukraine. And I look forward to the restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity,” President Kanerva said.

“There is another crisis now raging in the OSCE area, and it is also one that urgently requires constructive dialogue: That is the migrant and refugee crisis…Europe can and simply must do more to respond, and do so with solidarity and compassion,” he said.

President Kanerva also congratulated Mongolia on its landmark anniversary and urged fellow OSCE participating States to learn from the country’s swift adoption of democratic standards.

Russian Duma Speaker Sergey Naryshkin, Ukrainian OSCE PA Delegation Head Artur Gerasymov and Deputy Speaker of the Afghan Parliament Mohammad Nazir Ahmadzai were among parliamentarians from more than a dozen countries to participate in an opening general debate.

Later on 16 September, President Kanerva and OSCE PA Secretary General Spencer Oliver met with Speaker Naryshkin and other members of the Russian Delegation to the OSCE PA. 

The President indicated that he remains supportive of EU sanctions in response to Russia’s actions in the context of the Ukraine crisis. He also informed Speaker Naryshkin of his efforts to ensure that sanctions against individuals do not inhibit parliamentary dialogue.

President Kanerva also hosted a separate meeting with members of the Russian and Ukrainian Delegations.

The sides held a constructive discussion regarding potential mechanisms for the parliamentary side to support implementation of the Minsk Agreements.

The 2015 Autumn Meeting will also consider trends and issues of particular relevance to countries in the eastern part of the OSCE area. A special roundtable on Central Asia featuring the Heads of OSCE field presences in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan is also scheduled for today.

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Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj visits European Parliament

“Mongolia will be a strategic anchor for the EU in the east,” Mongolian President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj said, addressing MEP’s during the plenary session in Strasbourg on Tuesday 9 June. It is Elbegdorj’s first visit to the Parliament since being elected in May 2009. During his speech he talked about his country´s transition to democracy and the European Union’s support and cooperation during this time. 

“We arrived from being the most isolated and closed communist regime in the world to one of the most open. Today we have a dynamic market economy, a vibrant, creative society,” Elbegdorj said. The president stressed the importance of EU support and cooperation: “You were with us when we needed your support the most; you were with us when we needed your voice of encouragement.”

Introducing Elbegdorj, EP President Martin Schulz said that Mongolia will be hosting the 2016 Asia-Europe Meeting (Asem) in June 2016. “This is essential in terms of building bridges between Europe and Asia and will help us resolve the regional and global problems,” he said.

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