Foreign policy
Since the development of political pluralism and transition to democracy and market economy, Mongolia pursues peaceful, open, independent and multi-pillared foreign policy. Today the country maintains diplomatic relations with 163 countries.
In 2011, the contemporary diplomatic service celebrated its Centennial anniversary and Golden anniversary of membership of Mongolia in United Nations Organization.
Mongolia is successfully developing friendly relations and cooperation with our two neighbors, third neighbors and many western and eastern countries. Relations with UN organizations and other international and regional organizations deepened and Mongolia’s participation increased in multilateral regional activities, which led to strengthened reputation of our country in international arena.
Mongolia successfully chaired the Community of Democracies for the years 2011-2013 and organized the VII Ministerial Conference of the Community of Democracies in Ulaanbaatar on 27-29 April 2013.
Taking into account the ever changing external and internal environment as well as objectives and challenges ahead of us, State Great Hural of Mongolia passed renewed concept of foreign policy of Mongolia in February 2011.
As a part of foreign policy priorities of Mongolia, bilateral relationships with Russian Federation and People’s Republic of China has elevated to a new strategic partnership level while expanding close cooperation. At the same time, relations and cooperation with “third neighbors” has advanced. For instance, strategic partnership relations with Japan and comprehensive partnership commitment with United States, Germany, Republic of Korea, India and Turkey have been strengthened respectively. Meanwhile, more substantial progresses have been achieved in relationships and cooperation with European Union and its member countries which is considered as one of our foreign policy priorities.
Mongolia continues to actively advance diplomacy to strengthen its position in the Asian region, to intensify bilateral relationships with other regional countries, to engage to a dialogue on political, security and economic cooperation of the region and to participate in the regional integration processes. As expanding its traditional relations with Asian partnership states, Mongolia has strengthened friendly relations and cooperation with ASEAN member countries and thus increased frequency of high-level visits. Mongolia’s accession to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia in 2005 shows a clear and convincing evidence of its commitment to expand its relationship with ACEAN. Within the regional cooperation frameworks, Mongolia engages, through its certain assigned status, in important regional integration events and mechanisms, including the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC), the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), the Asian Cooperation Dialogue (ACD), the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM), the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) and the Forum for East Asia-Latin America Cooperation (FEALAC) and the Bali Democracy Forum (BDF).
Mongolia actively collaborates with the United Nations, its specialized agencies and other international financial, trade and economic institutions. Such cooperation has served as significant engine and impetus for the social and economic development of the country.
Mongolia has celebrated the 50th anniversary of its membership to the United Nations this year. The admission to the United Nations provides a wide range of opportunities to maintain its independence and national security, to actively participate and contribute in the United Nations’ activities together with other countries and to receive grants and assistance. In recent years, the cooperation between Mongolia and the United Nations has successfully expanded in certain key areas aimed at increasing its contribution to the United Nations’ peacekeeping, ensuring social and economic development and improving the state of landlocked developing countries among others. Since its admission to the United Nations, Mongolia has initiated and ensured adoption of over 80 resolutions, including 11 dated to 2007-2012.
Since 2002, Mongolia has deployed more than 5,600 peacekeepers to the United Nations peacekeeping in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Sierra Leone, Chad, Sudan, West Sahara, Congo, Ethiopia and Georgia. At present, several military observers are working in Congo, West Sahara and South Sudan. Additionally, a military field hospital with about 70 Mongolian staffs is operating within the joint United Nations-African Union peacekeeping mission in Sudan. Besides, Mongolian 370 peacekeepers are participating the NATO-led international security assistance force.
Mongolia continues its commitment to engage international community efforts aimed to overcome challenges and problems caused by climate change. For instance, the President of Mongolia attended the UN Climate Change Conference (COP15) in December 2009 so that Mongolia has acceded to the Copenhagen Accord.
In 2010, Mongolia became a member of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) and a participating state in the OSCE in 2012.
The Government of Mongolia recognizes importance of establishing free trade agreement with its main trading partners, being part of regional trade agreements and participating multilateral trade negotiations having conducted within the framework of WTO by safeguarding of its national interests in order to create favorable condition for promoting foreign trade and to increase the access of local products to the international markets. Mongolia’s trade policy objectives are aimed at developing an outward-oriented trade regime following the principles of the World Trade Organization (the “WTO”), with the goal of increasing overseas market access for Mongolia’s products through greater integration into the world economy. Mongolia continues to encourage foreign direct investment into the country to expand output and employment and encourage the transfer of skills and knowledge.
Mongolia participates as a member of several international financial organizations, such as International Finance Corporation, International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
Mongolia is currently seeking to become a member of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (“APEC”), which promotes open trade and practical economic cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region, which would allow Mongolia to have open trade with more nations.