The Prime Minister Ch.Saikhanbileg Thursday received visiting Mr S.V.Lavrov, the Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, in the State House.

Mongolia-Russia trade and economic cooperation has gained some achievements recently, the Premier said and thanked the Russian side for supporting the bilateral ties in all sides, and expressed a satisfaction with an establishment of a middle-term programme on developing the strategic partnership.

This programme will open a broad chance for the two countries to make their cooperation closer and to expand the economic ties, he underlined.

After this the two dignitaries mutually emphasized that a ratification of an agreement on regulating financial responsibilities of Mongolia to Russia opened new opportunities in the bilateral financial and credit cooperation.

Mr Saikhanbileg said Mongolia wants to launch SWAP agreement on exchanging currencies between the Central Banks of the two countries and to use national currencies in the bilateral trade.

The Premier proposed concluding an intergovernmental agreement on railway transportation of transit freight with soft terms through Russian territories during an upcoming this summer trilateral meeting of the Mongolian, Russian and Chinese Presidents in Tashkent of Uzbekistan. Then he informed the guest about an implementation course of a project on the Eg River hydropower station.

The Premier said Russian Buryatia has become a leading retailing region in the country after the visa-free regime came into force, and asked the Russian side to support us in advertising Mongolian goods and in mounting fairs in Irkutsk, Ulan-Ude, Kyzyl, Chita and Gorno-Altaisk cities, and to provide them with some favorable terms.

In response, Mr Lavrov said his country is taking measures for liberation of prices of Mongolian goods when they enter the Russian market, and said he will oblige related officials to take actions for organizing the exhibitions and fairs. Russia will also back Mongolia's initiative on establishing a cooperation memorandum with the Eurasian Economic Union, Lavrov said. 

Russia intends to establish an intergovernmental agreement on the regional and trans-boundary cooperation, he added. 

The parties concurred to continue the cooperation in making joint factories and companies more fruitful.

Present at the meeting were N.Battsereg, the Minister of Environment, Green Development and Tourism; D.Zorigt, the Minister of Energy; D.Gankhuyag, the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; B.Delgermaa, the Ambassador of Mongolia to Russia; and D.Odkhuu, a director of the Eg River hydropower station.