CHAIRWOMAN OF RUSSIA’S FEDERATION COUNCIL VISITS MONGOLIA

On June 22-23, Ms. Valentina Matviyenko, Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation, paid an official visit to Mongolia at the invitation of Parliament Speaker Z.Enkhbold. Ms. Matviyenko was accompanied by ten officials including I.M.Umakhanov, Deputy Chairman of the of Federal Council and head of the group for relations with Mongolia’s Parliament, and V.M.Dzhabarov, First Deputy head of the Federal Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee. During her official visit, Ms. Valentina Matviyenko held official talks with her Mongolian counterpart Z. Enkhbold, received Prime Minister N.Altankhuyag Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Mongolian People’s Party (MPP) M.Enkhbold, and paid a courtesy call on President Ts.Elbegdorj. An official welcome ceremony for the Chairwoman of the Federation Council Ms. Valentina Matviyenko was held on the Chinggis Square. After the two dignitaries paid respects to the statue of Chinggis Khaan, Ms. Matviyenko signed the Honor Guest Book at the State House and the two Speakers held official talks. Following the official talks, they reported to the press about the talks. “During the official talks, the sides shared views on actions to be taken for improving outcomes of bilateral cooperation in politics, inter-parliament, economy, trade, culture, sciences, transit transport and border affairs. We also agreed to make joint efforts in celebrating 75th anniversary of the Victory of the Khalkh River Battle to be marked this August. In this sense, the talks of the parliamentary speakers are now regarded as significant,” emphasized Mr. Enkhbold. Mr. Enkhbold also recalled previous meetings high officials of the two countries, such as meetings of Russian President Vladimir Putin with Mongolia’s President Ts.Elbegdorj during the ‘Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia’ Conference in Shanghai, and with Prime Minister N.Altankhuyag during Saint Petersburg’s International Economic Forum, and said the establishment of the Mongolia-Russia group in the Russian Federal Council has brought inter-parliamentary collaboration to a new level. He highlighted that active cooperation and talks between the legislative bodies of Mongolia and Russia are of great importance in deepening cooperation between the two countries. Ms. Matviyenko thanked the Mongolian side for the friendly welcome and noted her pleasure with the current high-level relationship between Mongolia and Russia. She said the key mission of her visit is to strengthen inter-parliamentary relations, which have increasingly significant functions for collaboration between the two nations. The same day, Ms. Matviyenko paid a courtesy call on President Ts. Elbegdorj. To begin the meeting, Ms. Matviyenko expressed satisfaction with her successful visit to Mongolia and conveyed greetings to the Mongolian President from the Russian President V.Putin. In his message, Mr. Putin notes that he had had high level political talks with his Mongolia counterpart during the fourth summit of CICA, held in May 20-21 in Shanghai of China, and underlined those regular meetings give impetus to enhancing bilateral relations. Ms. Matviyenko said Mongolia-Russia relations have been developing at the partnership level and in mutually beneficial ways. Joint ventures have been operating beneficially and documents on economic relations until 2015 are being fruitfully implemented. At the meeting, the sides discussed issues such as visa-waivers for Mongolian citizens to travel to Russia, co-developing small and medium-sized enterprises, organizing business forums as well as celebrations for the 75th anniversary of the Khalkh River Battle Victory which will be marked this August, and the 70th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War in 2015. “Russian President V. Putin has been invited to Mongolia for the celebration of the Khalkh River Battle Victory and Mongolia is willing to organize a Mongolia-Russia-China trilateral high level meeting in Ulaanbaatar,” said the President. During the meeting with Ms. Matviyenko, Prime Minister N. Altankhuyag said that Mongolia initiated establishing a Mongolia-Russia mid-term strategic partnership development program and worked out a preliminary draft and sent it to the Russian side. In response, Ms. Matviyenko expressed satisfaction with the development of bilateral traditional relations and cooperation at a high level, and hoped that the intergovernmental commission’s annual meeting will significantly contribute to expanding of commercial and economic ties and make the joint ventures more beneficial.