Putin: Relations Between Russia and Mongolia Develop at All Levels

Relations between Russia and Mongolia, two brotherly states, show excellent growth dynamics. On Tuesday, September 3, Russian President Vladimir Putin said during talks in Ulaanbaatar with Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhnaagiin: “In the course of our work, we carefully analyzed all areas of our strategic partnership, both regional and global, with a special focus on our cooperation in the economy.”

Having reached $2.2 billion last year, the trade turnover between Russia and Mongolia amounted to $1.4 billion for the period January-July 2024. Russia is currently Mongolia’s second largest trading partner after China.

Russia and Mongolia are working together on a number of international infrastructure projects, including the construction of a new Russia-Mongolia-China gas pipeline and the modernization of the Ulaanbaatar railroad, which is set to become an integral part of transport corridors across Greater Eurasia.

Putin also praised the effective work of the two countries in the humanitarian sphere, particularly in education: thousands of young Mongolians are now studying in Russian universities paid for by the Russian government. In turn, the President of Mongolia thanked Putin for the visit, which comes in a year when the two countries celebrate several anniversaries at the same time, including the 85th anniversary of the joint victory of the armed forces of Mongolia and the Soviet Union over the Japanese invaders on the Khalkhin Gol River and the 50th anniversary of the founding of the city of Erdenet, built almost “from scratch” by the USSR in the 1970s together with a metallurgical plant producing molybdenum and some other rare earth metals.

Putin expressed hope for closer cooperation between Mongolia and the BRICS group and invited the Mongolian president to attend the summit of this influential international organization to be held in Kazan, Russia, on October 22-24.

After five new countries joined BRICS earlier this year, Turkey has also applied to become a full member of the group. According to Yuri Ushakov, advisor to the Russian president, leaders of 36 countries have already been invited to the BRICS summit in Russia. “By the way, 18 of the 36 leaders we have invited have already confirmed their participation,” Ushakov told reporters on the sidelines of the Russia-Mongolia summit, adding that representatives of a number of international associations and leaders of countries intending to join BRICS or intensify cooperation with the group. According to Ushakov, BRICS is going to launch several new formats of cooperation with all interested countries of the world.