Ulaanbaatar, January 13, 2025 /MONTSAME/. Prime Minister of Mongolia Oyun-Erdene Luvsannamsrai received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan to Mongolia Igawahara Masaru on January 10, 2025.

Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene emphasized the highly developing Special Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity, “people-centered” relations and cooperation between Mongolia and Japan, which share common values ​​of democracy. Briefly introducing the policies and measures implemented by the Mongolian Government, the Prime Minister noted that Mongolia attaches great importance to expanding and developing mutually beneficial cooperation with Japan, an important “third neighbor,” and expressed commitment to further intensify high-level visits and dialogue between the two countries.

The Premier requested Japan's cooperation in projects on establishing a new satellite city in the Khushig Valley, improving the infrastructure of Ulaanbaatar City, and reducing the city's air and environmental pollution and traffic congestion. Within the framework of multilateral cooperation, the Prime Minister expressed the country’s interest in cooperating in the project to extract hydrogen from brown coal, which is being implemented by countries including Japan and Australia. Prime Minister Oyun-Erdene noted that the Mongolian Government is working to accelerate three transitions, namely high-tech artificial intelligence, green development, and human resources, and offered the Japanese Government to cooperate in these endeavors.

Ambassador Igawahara expressed his commitment to further consolidate the Special Strategic Partnership for Peace and Prosperity between Mongolia and Japan, and to focus on enriching relations in economy, infrastructure, and defense sectors with new content. The Ambassador expressed gratitude for the ratification of the Intergovernmental Agreement on the Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology within the framework of the Special Strategic Partnership between Mongolia and Japan.

Ambassador Igawahara noted that the Japanese Government decided to resume the long-term low-interest yen loan to Mongolia within the framework of the Official Development Assistance. The loan had been suspended in 2017, when Mongolia joined the International Monetary Fund Program.

The two sides agreed to prioritize the loan to expand the capacity of the Chinggis Khaan International Airport, which was jointly established by Mongolia and Japan. In addition, the two sides agreed to conduct detailed studies and further discussions on utilizing the concessional loans for the planned new satellite city project in Khushig Valley, infrastructure improvements in Ulaanbaatar, and other development projects.