Ulaanbaatar /MONTSAME/. Chairman of the State Great Khural G.Zandanshatar paid an official visit to the Republic of Turkey on October 13-17 at the invitation of Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly Mustafa Şentop.

On October 14, the Speakers of the two countries held official talks.

At the outset, the Turkish Speaker expressed satisfaction with the fact that the development of relations and cooperation between the two countries, which was slowed down due to the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, is being intensified and high-level visit is being organized. He then emphasized that Mongolia declared Turkey as its “third neighbor” in 2011 while expressing willingness to bring Mongolia-Turkey relations to the level of “Strategic Partnership”.

Moreover, the Turkish Speaker expressed his interest in expanding cooperation in air transportation and put forth a proposal to increase the frequency of direct flights by Turkish Airlines and cancel the passenger limit.

Expressing his commitment to further expanding interparliamentary cooperation, Mr. Mustafa Şentop invited Mr. G.Zandanshatar to take part in the 11th Conference of the Parliamentary Assembly of Turkic-speaking States in April 2023.

Thanking his counterpart for the warm welcome, the Mongolian Speaker expressed satisfaction with the development Mongolia-Turkey relations and cooperation and underscored that the people of Mongolia and Turkey have a long history of friendly relations.

He then reaffirmed his commitment to bringing Mongolia-Turkey relations to the level of “Strategic Partnership”, before expressing support for his counterpart’s proposal to increase the frequency of direct flights and cancel the passenger limit.

“Mongolia has over 70 million livestock and has the potential to bring 20 million livestock into economic circulation annually. We have a capacity to export 100 thousand tons of meat and 25 million livestock leather and raw materials per year. Mongolia accounts for 50 percent of the supply of cashmere products in the world. Therefore, I would like to express willingness to deepen cooperation in the fields of agriculture and animal husbandry based on the Turkish advanced technology and Mongolia’s resources”, said the Mongolian Speaker.

In accordance with the Government of Mongolia’s decision to declare 2023 the year of visiting Mongolia, the Mongolian side also voiced interest in cooperating with the Turkish side in increasing the flow of tourists.

He mentioned that the ruins of Hulagu Khan's summer palace and the monuments related to the ancient Turkic Empire were found in Turkey's Van province and Mongolia's Arkhangai province respectively. He then expressed willingness to expand cooperation in the protection and conservation of cultural monuments and heritages and develop tourism based on archaeological discoveries.