DEFENSE MINISTER MEETS AMBASSADORS

Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia /MONTSAME/ On Wednesday, the Minister of Defense D.Bat-Erdene received Mr Christopher Charles Stuart, the Ambassador of the United Kingdom, and Mr Takenori Shimizu, Japan's Ambassador to Mongolia. The Minister shared views with the Ambassadors on present and future of the defense relations and cooperation with the UK and Japan. In 1996-1999, the British side involved some 30 Mongolian servicemen in the English language training in the UK with its financing, then an official cooperation began in the defense sector in 1999, and a project called "English for peacekeeping" was implemented for the Mongolian troops. The Minister thanked the British side for these works and for sending its servicemen to the "Khaan Quest" international military exercises. Then the sides talked about a draft agreement on the bilateral cooperation at the defense sector. To the Japanese Ambassador the Minister said that the Mongolia-Japan relations and cooperation at the defense sphere has been widening in frames of the comprehensive partnership. This strengthens the regional military trust and understanding, improves the capability of Mongolia's Armed Forces, and raises Mongolia's reputation at international arena, he said. D.Bat-Erdene thanked Japan for training Mongolian servicemen in its National Defense Academy and expressed a willingness to take support and assistance from Japan in technological renovation of the Armed Forces' hospital and in training medical doctors. B.Khuder