Diplomatic World_69

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia to
the Kingdom of Netherlands H.E. Mr. Luvsanvandan Bold served
as the Minister of Defence of Mongolia from 2008 to 2012 and
the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia between 2012-2014.
He was elected 5 times as Member of the State Great Hural
(Parliament) of Mongolia. During his tenure as the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Mongolia’s foreign relations reached a new
level and increased the number of countries that established
diplomatic relations.
H.E. LUVSANVANDAN BOLD
AMBASSADOR EXTRAORDINARY AND
PLENIPOTENTIARY OF MONGOLIA
TO THE BENELUX COUNTRIES
AND THE EUROPEAN UNION
LET ME CONGRATULATE YOU ON THE 50TH
ANNIVERSARY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS BETWEEN MONGOLIA
AND THE KINGDOM OF NETHERLANDS. COULD
YOU PLEASE SHARE THOSE MOMENTS?
First of all, thank you for inviting me to share my views on the
current state of Mongolia-Netherlands relations and the opportunities
for their further growth. It has been four months since
I have presented my credentials to His Majesty the King Willem-
Alexander of the Netherlands.
Apart from the Netherlands, I am accredited to Belgium,
Luxembourg and the European Union and also serve as the
Permanent Representative of my country to several international
organizations based in Brussels and in the Hague.
Let me start by emphasizing that the Netherlands is Mongolia’s
key partner in the European Union. Our two countries share the
common values of the respect for democracy, human rights, rule
of law, free and fair market economy. We believe that Mongolia
serves as a successful example of a small country that upholds
the rule of law and democracy in the Asian region.
This year we are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the establishment
of diplomatic relations between our two countries.
The bilateral ties have intensified since the early 1990s and it is
gratifying to note that the solid foundations have been laid for the
long-standing friendship between the two nations.
To mark the 50th anniversary of our diplomatic relations, the two
sides have exchanged congratulatory letters pledging to further
strengthen and expand the bilateral cooperation.
Mongolia highly appreciates the Dutch Government’s support
for our social and economic reforms from their onset through
development cooperation programs from 1990 to 2011 with the
two sides implementing projects in the areas of environmental
protection and sustainable tourism in Mongolia. A vivid example
of our fruitful cooperation is the re-introduction of Przewalski’s
horses to Hustai National Park, which until then had faced the
threat of total extinction. This year marks exactly thirty years
since the launch of the project, while today the number of wild
horses exceeds 250.
CAN YOU GIVE US AN UPDATE ON THE MONGOLIA
AND DUTCH BILATERAL TRADE AND ECONOMIC
COOPERATION? WHAT IS YOUR POSITION ON THE
SCOPE FOR THE FURTHER EXPANSION OF
ECONOMIC RELATIONS?
The anniversary provides us with a pleasant opportunity to
reflect on our achievements in many fields and determine further
directions of bilateral cooperation. In 2021, the trade turnover
between two countries reached USD 25.59 million and I believe
that there is more room for its further growth. Also, I am happy to
note here that the Netherlands has become the largest investor in
Mongolia’s mining sector. As you are probably aware, Mongolia
is rich in mineral resources and is one of top ten countries in the
world in terms of the endowment of natural resources.
As I had mentioned earlier, we consider the Netherlands as our
important economic partner. Since the agricultural sector occupies
a prominent place in economies of both our countries, there
are wide opportunities to stimulate mutually beneficial cooperation.
KEY MILESTONES BETWEEN MONGOLIA AND THE KINGDOM OF THE NETHERLANDS
1972 Establishment of diplomatic relations between Mongolia and the Netherlands
1995 The Prime Minister of Mongolia Puntsagiin Jasrai visited the Netherlands
1998 The Dutch Finance Minister Gerrit Zalm visited Mongolia
1999 The President of Mongolia N. Bagabandi visited the Netherlands
2002 The Dutch Finance Minister Gerrit Zalm visited Mongolia
2005 The Prime Minister of Mongolia Ts. Elbegdorj visited the Netherlands
2006 Dutch Crown Prince Willem-Alexander visited Mongolia
2008 The first meeting between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia and the Netherlands was held in the Hague
2016 Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte attended the 11th Summit of Asia-Europe
Meeting (ASEM) which was held in Ulaanbaatar
2016 The second meeting between Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia and the Netherlands was held in Ulaanbaatar
2017 The third meeting between Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia and the Netherlands was held in the Hague
2021 The fourth meeting between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia and the Netherlands was virtually held
With a view to further broadening the current relations and increasing
the trade turnover and investments, Mongolia has been
encouraging strong cooperation in the agricultural field based
on adequately accumulated resources and expertise of the two
countries. The Dutch companies are global market leaders with
rich experiences in green houses manufacturing. Since there is a
growing base for farming and agricultural industries in Mongolia,
this area could become an important starting point for successful
organic food production, which could have the potential to
supply the region and promote sustainable trade.
We would also like to see the enhancement of our people-to-people
relations by encouraging educational and cultural
exchanges. We are grateful to the Clingendael – the Netherlands
Institute of International Relations for providing fellowships for
Mongolian young diplomats since 1994. During my term as
Ambassador to the Netherlands, I will attach particular importance
to building more contacts between academic institutions,
universities and think tanks of the two countries.
As you may have heard, Mongolian rock band “The HU” has
introduced a new trend in rock music winning many fans across
the world including Europe and other regions. It is my pleasure to
inform your readers that “The HU” is going to perform in Brussels
and Amsterdam in November 2022.
WHERE DO YOU SEE THE MOST ECONOMIC
OPPORTUNITIES THAT THE DUTCH BUSINESSES
CAN TAKE THE ADVANTAGE? WHAT ARE THE
GOVERNMENT POLICIES TOWARDS FOREIGN
INVESTMENT IN MONGOLIA?
The Government of Mongolia has formulated a long-term development
strategy “New Revival Policy” to stimulate the economy
after the pandemic era which aims to ensure political and
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