Ankara, January 17, 2025 /MONTSAME/. At the invitation of President of the Republic of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa is paying a State Visit to the Republic of Türkiye on January 15-19, 2025. The two Heads of State held a press briefing on the outcomes of their official talks.

President of Mongolia Khurelsukh Ukhnaa:

Your Excellency President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan,

Dear Representatives of the Press,

I extend my greetings to you all.

I am pleased to be paying a State Visit to the beautiful Republic of Türkiye at the invitation of Your Excellency President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, on the occasion of the historic 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries, which share ancient historical ties and cultural traditions.

I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to the honorable President, the State, the Government, and the friendly people of Türkiye for their warm hospitality extended to the Mongolian delegation. 

The State Visit of the Head of State of Mongolia to the Republic of Türkiye is a milestone that has opened a new chapter in the history of friendly relations and cooperation between the peoples of Mongolia and Türkiye and established a Strategic Partnership between our two countries. 

Türkiye, with its unique geographical location connecting Asia and Europe, is Mongolia's “third neighbor” and reliable partner, and we always strive to consistently expand and develop bilateral relations and cooperation in all sectors.

During the State Visit, we exchanged views on jointly implementing mutually beneficial projects and programs aimed at consolidating and further expanding the achievements of the past 55 years of relations and cooperation and enhancing the development, economic benefits, and investment of our two countries. 

As an outcome of the official talks, the two Heads of State signed the “Joint Declaration on Establishing a Strategic Partnership between Mongolia and the Republic of Türkiye.” Moreover, the two sides signed more than 10 cooperation documents in environment, road, transport, infrastructure, forestry, and law, and Intergovernmental Agreements on the "Cooperation in Youth, and Sports," "Cooperation in Education," and "Cooperation in Health and Medical Sciences."

The Republic of Türkiye is one of Mongolia’s major foreign trade partners. We agreed to study and implement mutually beneficial joint projects and programs that would enrich relations and cooperation with economic content and serve as symbols of bilateral relations. Specifically, we expressed interest in collaborating with the Turkish side on infrastructure and investment under the development of “New Kharkhorum” city and the Orkhon Valley tourism complex.

We agreed to align Mongolia’s “Vision 2050” and Türkiye’s “Century of Türkiye” development policies to increase investment and exports, develop free trade zones, and advance cooperation in infrastructure, air and rail transportation, logistics, agriculture, as well as in the processing of agricultural products, such as leather, wool, and cashmere.

Highlighting that resolving global challenges, such as climate change, desertification, soil degradation, and food insecurity, is a common goal for our countries, we agreed to cooperate under Mongolia’s “Billion Trees” National Movement. Additionally, we signed an Intergovernmental Agreement on Cooperation in Forestry.

Your Excellency President,

Dear media representatives, and guests,

Our people are grateful to the Turkish Government and people for implementing numerous effective projects and programs with funding of around MNT 200 billion over the past 30 years for the social and economic development of Mongolia and for advancing relations and cooperation between our two countries. During difficult times faced with epidemics, natural disasters, and earthquakes, the Mongolian and Turkish people have stood together and worked to save people and for humanitarian causes. Therefore, we have agreed to cooperate in disaster risk reduction, disaster management, earthquake hazard reduction, combating forest and steppe fires, rescue operations, disaster relief, and capacity building.

Under the “Healthy Mongolian” National Movement of Mongolia, we agreed to cooperate in health and social security to reduce cancer incidence and mortality and establish a National Center for Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis. Historical, cultural, and educational relations are an essential bridge connecting the peoples of our two countries. We decided to work together to preserve, protect, and promote our unique historical and cultural heritage and monuments, including the historical artifacts of the Turkic period in the Orkhon Valley and the ruins of the summer palace of Ilkhaan Khulegu found in Van province of Türkiye. Additionally, we will support the work of scientists and archaeological teams and jointly implement a scholarship program.

I am delighted that, during this State Visit, we are presenting our Turkish friends a performance by the Morin Khuur Orchestra, a Cultural Envoy of Mongolia as an embodiment of the history, culture, and heritage of the Mongols, creating a moving and memorable experience together. Furthermore, it is gratifying that many businesses from the two countries will participate in the “Mongolia–Türkiye Business Forum,” to be held in Istanbul during the State Visit, which demonstrates the strong desire and determination of our entrepreneurs and producers to work together.

I believe this Business Forum will play a pivotal role in further expanding and developing mutually beneficial economic cooperation between our two countries and supporting entrepreneurs and producers. I am confident that the decisions we have agreed upon will be realized for the development and prosperity of our two countries and the well-being of our peoples, and that our bilateral relations and cooperation will continue to grow and strengthen.

I am convinced that Mongolia’s "peaceful, open, independent, and multi-pillar" foreign policy and Türkiye’s benevolent and humanitarian diplomatic endeavors will jointly contribute to the noble cause of global peace, security, sustainable development, and the well-being of humanity. I would like to express my gratitude for Your Excellency’s dedication and invaluable efforts in expanding and developing the relations and cooperation between our two countries.

I also invite Your Excellency President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to visit our beautiful country Mongolia, the land of ancient history and eternal blue skies, in the near future.

May the friendship between our two peoples strengthen from generation to generation, and may the traditional, historic relations and cooperation between Mongolia and the Republic of Türkiye continue to flourish forever. 

Thank you for your attention.

President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan:

I would like to extend my warmest welcome to Your Excellency President Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, and the Mongolian delegation, who are paying a State Visit to our country. This is the first visit by the Head of State of Mongolia to the Republic of Türkiye in 21 years.

This time, the Honorable President is joined by esteemed members of Parliament and Government, business leaders, cultural representatives, and media representatives of Mongolia. I would also like to express my intention to pay a State Visit to Mongolia in the near future.

Last year marked the 55th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries. In 2004, we elevated our relations to the level of a Comprehensive Partnership. Today, I and my esteemed friend President Khurelsukh decided to further enhance our bilateral ties, and we have just signed a Joint Declaration on Establishing a Strategic Partnership between Mongolia and the Republic of Türkiye. I am confident that this partnership will bring benefits to our two countries, to the homeland of our ancestors, to Central Asia, and to the world.

Furthermore, eleven Cooperation Documents have been signed between the Ministries and organizations of our two countries in key areas such as education, the environment, youth, sports, energy, and transportation. These Cooperation Documents will solidify the foundation of our relations and elevate our collaboration to new heights.

Dear Representatives of the Press,

We aim at expanding our cooperation by focusing on areas such as construction, infrastructure, transportation, defense, industry, mining, tourism, agriculture, and livestock, based on the Government of Mongolia's plan to implement major development projects. In this regard, we encourage the private sectors and business leaders from the two countries to make mutual investments and implement joint projects. We have exceeded our initial goal of achieving USD 100 million in bilateral trade. However, this figure is still below our true potential.

We discussed ways to increase the trade volume and reaffirmed our commitment to deepening cooperation in history, culture, and humanity, which are the cornerstone of our relations. Since 1992, many Mongolian students have studied under the Turkish Scholarships Program, and we agreed to further expand this initiative. In 2008, we jointly inaugurated the Khushuu Tsaidam Museum to preserve historical artifacts and the Orkhon Valley stone inscription. This year, we aim at completing the Museum Construction Project, in collaboration with the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TİKA), to protect the Tonyukuk inscriptions. We agreed to continue to strengthen our cooperation in the global arena within the framework of the United Nations and other international and regional organizations.

Dear Representatives of the Press,

Honorable President of Mongolia, Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, and his accompanying delegation have visited our defense industry facilities in Ankara and will continue their visit in Istanbul. As part of this State Visit, the Mongolian State Philharmonic Morin Khuur Ensemble, which successfully represents Mongolia on the global stage, will perform in Istanbul. The Honorable President of Mongolia is also a skilled guitarist. Additionally, the President and his delegation will visit Van Province to explore the ruins of the Summer Palace of Ilkhanid Hulegu, discovered in 2022 by Mongolian and Turkish archaeologists.

I am confident that the decisions we have made and the steps we have taken will bear fruitful results for our two countries. 

Thank you.