The President of Mongolia U.Khurelsukh took part as an observer in the 22nd Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).
During the meeting, the President participated in the 6th tripartite meeting of the Heads of State of Mongolia, Russia, and China, which was postponed for two years due to the pandemic, and discussed the “Economic Corridor”, which is strategic for the three countries, and discussed the implementation of the pipeline project to supply natural gas from Russia to China through the territory of Mongolia.
The Office of the President announced that during the tripartite meeting of the Heads of State of Mongolia, Russia, and China, the sides agreed to extend the “Economic Corridor Program” for five more years.
In this context, the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin emphasized the importance of coordinating joint infrastructure and development projects and programs and mentioned that the renovation of the “Ulaanbaatar Railway” JV, which is vital for the transport between the three countries, is a priority.
The parties agreed to redevelop the central railway corridor connecting the three countries and start feasibility studies. In this regard, Russia is planning to upgrade the Naushki port on the Russian-Mongolian border. In addition, the Presidents emphasized the importance of establishing east and west railway corridors and strengthening cooperation in border and customs areas.
Moreover, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation reported that the Russian Federation will soon reach an agreement with the People’s Republic of China on the “Power of Siberia-2” natural gas pipeline project through Mongolia. If this gas pipeline starts operating, “Gazprom” will be able to supply 50 billion cubic meters of natural gas.
Mongolia views the SCO as an important channel for a multilateral cooperation, and since gaining observer status in 2004, Mongolia has regularly participated in the Meetings of the Council of Heads of State.
Also, President U.Khurelsukh met with the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Sh. Mirziyoyev. During the meeting, parties agreed to exchange experience on how to overcome transportation obstacles, which is a common challenge in landlocked developing countries, and Uzbekistan, an important country in the Central Asian region, noted that they will study the accession to the International Think Tank for Landlocked Developing Countries based in Ulaanbaatar.