Ulaanbaatar
Mongolia and USA discuss cooperation in roads and transport sector
PoliticsUlaanbaatar /MONTSAME/ Minister of Road and Transportation D.Ganbat received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Mongolia Jennifer Zimdahl Galt.
At the meeting, they focused on bilateral cooperation in the roads and transport sector.
Noting that the sides have been developing equal and mutually beneficial cooperation over 30 years, Mr Ganbat underlined that Mongolia-United States relations have elevated to the level of comprehensive relations. Then he stressed that construction of 176.4 km road linking Choir and Sainshand was done with funding from the Millennium Challenge Fund.
Minister D.Ganbat introduced plans for implementing mega infrastructure projects as new railways, new international airport, and transit and road projects. He told the US Ambassador Galt about projects that will be implemented by the Ministry of Road and Transportation in the framework of the Government’s program for 2016-2020 and forwarded several proposals. Then Mr.Ganbat inquired about the Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MMC) upcoming Compact II contract to be signed with Mongolia, and whether the road and transport sector would be included; adding that his ministry is interested in cooperating within the framework of the second compact.
The proposals raised by the Minister included expanding the Choir-Sainshand road into a three-lane highway, upgrading the service facilities along the 620 km UB-Zamyn-Uud road, and expanding the UB-Darkhan road into a four-lane highway. He also noted that the project on connecting all the province centers to UB has yet to be finished, with 130 km of road between Gobi-Altai and Uvs provinces.
Ambassador Galt said that the U.S. Embassy focuses on the economic and social development of Mongolia, and highlighted the possibility of further cooperation in the roads and transport sector.
