SECOND COMPACT COULD BE SIGNED IN FIRST HALF OF 2018

Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Prime Minister U.Khurelsukh appreciated the successful development of the Second Compact Agreement between Government of Mongolia and the US based Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). On December 6, Prime Minister U.Khurelsukh met Fatema Z. Sumar, MCC’s Regional Deputy Vice President for Europe, Asia, Pacific, and Latin America (EAPLA). MCC announced Mongolia’s eligibility for a second compact in 2014. “Mongolia attaches a great importance to the Second Compact Agreement”, noted the Prime Minister, appreciating how aids provided by the US address the long-term economic growth and sustainable development of Mongolia. The Prime Minister emphasized that the Mongolian Government sees the renovation of the Central Wastewater Treatment Plant of Ulaanbaatar as a priority. The Government has backed feasibility studies on water resource and wastewater recycling projects. The National Secretariat for the Development of the Second Compact Agreement informed that MCC was looking into the matters of contractor of the wastewater treatment plant construction project and sludge at the currently operating plant. It was noted during the meeting that close cooperation was needed between Mongolia’s corresponding Ministries and MCC specialists to successfully carry out the project to build a new wastewater treatment plant in Ulaanbaatar. Ms. Sumar spoke of a possibility to sign the Compact Agreement within the first half of 2018 if the teams responsible for development of the Agreement succeed in finalizing the technical details in early 2018. “We are working on having the fund of up to USD 350 million approved,” she said. Kh.Aminaa