Ulaanbaatar, October 30, 2024 /MONTSAME/. At the invitation of the MONTSAME National News Agency of Mongolia, a delegation led by Director General of TASS News Agency Andrey Kondrashov from the Russian Federation is visiting Mongolia from October 29-30, 2024. The delegation visited the MONTSAME News Agency on October 29, 2024.

This marks the first time that a Director General of TASS News Agency, one of the world’s leading news sources, has visited MONTSAME Mongolian National News Agency.

The TASS delegation includes First Deputy Director General M. S. Gusman, Senior Foreign Relations Specialist A. V. Potapkina, First Deputy Editor-in-Chief M. S. Abulkhatin, and TASS Correspondent in Mongolia Tuyana Zundueva.

Director General of MONTSAME Mongolian National News Agency Sodontogos Erdenetsogt welcomed the guests, introducing TASS officials to the historical legacy, current progress, and future objectives of MONTSAME, as part of the MONTSAME Agency's long-standing collaboration with TASS.

At the meeting, the two sides proposed expanding and strengthening cooperation between the two Agencies with over 100 years of history, including MONTSAME's proposal to publish "Mongolia Segodnya" [Mongolia Today] alongside the “Novosti Mongolii” [Mongolian News] newspaper to promote the Russian language.

Additionally, the guests were introduced to traditional Mongolian script and cultural heritage.

Director General of TASS News Agency Andrey Kondrashov expressed his gratitude for the warm welcome, saying, "Mongolia is a fascinating and unique country with warm and friendly people. I have long wished to visit Mongolia. Being positioned between two major powers, I imagine Mongolia conducts its political policies with great sensitivity. Our two news agencies have maintained a longstanding partnership over many years. Although there were some missed opportunities in the past, I am confident that a promising future lies ahead. In this era of information warfare, it is important that our agencies cooperate and support each other. Drawing on our traditional friendly and intellectual relations, we have ample resources and opportunities to collaborate extensively in the future. If MONTSAME plans to appoint a special correspondent in Moscow or a nearby city, we will fully support this initiative. There is a Mongolian proverb: “With friends, your horizons are as wide as the plains. Without friends, they are smaller than your palms.” We aspire to be MONTSAME's best partner and dearest friend. We sincerely appreciate the warm and friendly reception extended to us as old friends in your sunny and beautiful Ulaanbaatar city."

Additionally, the meeting was attended by Yevsikov Alexei Nikolaevich, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to Mongolia, who shared his thoughts on the future relations and cooperation between the two Agencies.

As the outcome of this historic meeting—marking the first-ever visit of the Director General of TASS, a 120-year-old agency, to MONTSAME, with a 103-year history—the two agencies signed their fifth cooperation agreement. The agreement was signed by Director General of MONTSAME Sodontogos Erdenetsogt and Director General of TASS Andrey Kondrashov.

Under the Agreement, the two sides agreed to deepen their cooperation through mutual experience exchange, information sharing, reciprocal visits of journalists and specialists, and joint training programs.

The 120th anniversary of the TASS News Agency was celebrated on September 1, 2024. TASS, the only media outlet with a bureau on the International Space Station, employs over 1,800 people and produces around 3,000 reports daily in six languages. The Tass News Agency collaborates with more than 200 media organizations across 112 countries globally.

The first cooperation agreement between MONTSAME and TASS was signed in Moscow in 1957, followed by a Cooperation Agreement on September 22, 2004, and an Additional Agreement on September 20, 2013, in Moscow. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed on March 7, 2024, in Tokyo.